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Türkiye has started negotiations with Russia to extend key natural gas supply agreements beyond 2026, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar revealed during the Baku Energy Forum in Azerbaijan on Monday.
State-owned energy company BOTAS is currently holding talks with Russian gas giant Gazprom on renewing long-term import contracts that are due to expire at the end of next year. While discussions are ongoing, neither the contract volumes nor the duration of a potential extension have been finalized, Bayraktar told Bloomberg.
The agreements under discussion cover gas deliveries through the Blue Stream and TurkStream pipelines. In December, Ankara extended two separate contracts with Gazprom, but the current arrangements are set to run only until the end of 2026.
BOTAS holds a long-term agreement with Gazprom for 16 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas annually through the Blue Stream pipeline. The company also imports an additional 6 bcm per year through shorter-term arrangements via TurkStream.
Together, the contracts cover 22 bcm of natural gas annually, helping make Türkiye Gazprom’s second-largest market after China.
At the same time, Ankara has been diversifying its energy imports through new LNG agreements, particularly with the United States, helping reduce its reliance on Russian gas to below 40%. According to official data, Türkiye imported 58 bcm of natural gas in 2025, with around 70% of those volumes arriving through pipeline networks.
Bayraktar also highlighted Türkiye’s proposal to transport Turkmen natural gas to Europe through Azerbaijan and the Southern Gas Corridor. The project would link Turkmenistan’s vast gas reserves to Azerbaijan via a proposed Trans-Caspian pipeline before flowing through existing infrastructure, including the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), to European markets.
"There were remarks that the time has come for Turkmen gas to reach Türkiye and Europe via Azerbaijan. All of our counterparts are extremely interested in these issues. Perhaps, in terms of timing, we are now at a point where everyone will say ‘yes,’" he said.
The minister added that Türkiye is prepared to support new energy projects aimed at strengthening regional supply security.
"Türkiye is ready on this issue. We have demonstrated this through the projects we have carried out and the contributions we have made so far," he added.
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