On Wednesday, Turkey warned Russia and Ukraine to stop attacking energy infrastructure. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar’s warning followed Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian-linked tankers in the Black Sea in recent days.
Bayraktar said in Istanbul on Wednesday that any disruption to energy infrastructure affects global markets and people’s lives, noting that attacks have already hit energy facilities in both countries, French news agency AFP reported.
– We are telling Russia and Ukraine not to include the energy infrastructure in this war, because it is closely related to people’s daily life – said the Turkish minister.
Last Friday, an explosion off Turkey’s Black Sea coast hit two empty oil tankers, at least one of which was on its way to a Russian port. A Ukrainian security source told AFP that Ukrainian forces used drones to attack ships “secretly carrying Russian oil”.
On Tuesday, a third tanker carrying sunflower oil was hit on its way from Russia to Georgia. Russia also claims it was hit by a drone, but Ukraine has denied any involvement.
Bayraktar pointed out that energy facilities were repeatedly the target of attacks by both sides during the conflict. According to him, Turkey wants the energy infrastructure to stay out of this conflict, and has therefore called for the maintenance of an uninterrupted flow of energy in the Black Sea, the Turkish Straits and through pipelines.
In recent weeks, the US has pressured allies, including Turkey, to reduce oil and gas imports from Russia, but Bayraktar said Ankara had always been transparent with Washington about its needs for Russian gas.
He also stressed the need for a diversified supply portfolio, as Turkey does not want to be dependent on just one country.
– We need gas from Russia, we also need gas from Iran, Azerbaijan and many other sources – he said.
Ankara and Moscow are in the midst of negotiations to extend a gas supply contract that expires on December 31. Russian energy giant Gazprom is expected to resume supplies next year, but Bayraktar said Turkey is now focusing on short-term contracts.
(Vijesti.ba)
