UPDATE - Türkiye eyes to attain ‘complete energy independence’: President Erdogan

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that the country's main goal is to attain “complete energy independence.”

“Our main goal is to achieve complete independence in energy. We are determined and courageously implementing initiatives that will guarantee Türkiye’s energy security,” said Erdogan during his speech in a meeting organized in Türkiye’s Black Sea province Zonguldak.

Erdogan further said the daily production of oil well in Gabar mountain, located in Türkiye’s southeastern province Sirnak, has exceeded 35,000 barrels as of today.

"We aim for the daily oil production in Gabar to reach 100,000 barrels by the end of the year 2024,” he added.

Erdogan also expressed hope to announce new good news in the upcoming period regarding oil, mining, and natural gas, adding: "We will never allow the prevention of Türkiye’s utilization of its underground and above-ground resources again."

Since 2020, Türkiye has boosted efforts for oil and gas exploration, and these efforts have resulted in newly discovered reserves in the southeastern Gabar region. The record levels of oil production that the new reserves have contributed to have brought the country closer to its goal of achieving energy independence.​​​​​​​