Deputy PM: Dependence on Russian gas is a big risk for Turkey

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said that dependence on Russian gas supply is a big risk for Turkey, Trend News Agency reports.

He made the remarks during a meeting on “Changing dynamics of energy supply security, resource diversification and regional integration” held as part of the General Assembly of the Islamic Development Bank, the TRT TV channel reported May 18.

The natural gas import accounts for 97 percent of the total consumption in Turkey, said Simsek, “Russia accounts for 58 percent of the total volume of gas import [to Turkey],” said the deputy prime minister. “Undoubtedly, the dependence on Russian gas is a big risk for Turkey.”

“We want to reduce the dependence on suppliers and are constructing the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) for this purpose,” he added.