ANKARA — Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Thursday that he was planning to visit Israel for talks to bring Israeli gas to Turkey.
“We intend to discuss this issue face to face with both our counterpart Israeli Energy Minister and with companies that operate in this field,” Bayraktar told Turkey’s NTV television.
A senior source in the Israel Energy Ministry confirmed to Al-Monitor that the visit is set to take place, but said the date hasn’t been finalized yet.
Bayraktar added that Ankara sees it as a priority to bring Israeli gas to Turkey. “Carrying the gas to Europe via Turkey is solely a part of the scope. Essential is Israeli gas coming to Turkey,” Bayraktar said, adding that Turkey wasn’t positioning itself as just a transit country.