22.05.2026 15:51
While the CHP is in turmoil over the absolute nullity decision, President Erdoğan made a striking statement. Speaking at the summit he attended, Erdoğan mentioned the work done in the field of energy, saying, "We made history in Gabar as well. After the discovery in Gabar, four fields were identified in Diyarbakır. We plan to work on 24 wells in the next three years."
President Erdoğan, speaking at the 2nd Istanbul Natural Resources Summit held at the Lütfi Kırdar Congress Center, stated that the oil discovery in Gabar Mountain has gone down in the history of the Republic and gave new good news.
In his speech, Erdoğan said, "Regions once associated with terrorism are now associated with stability," adding, "Tourism is increasing, agriculture is developing, citizens are smiling. As the shadow of terrorism recedes, our cities are rapidly rising. The production in Gabar contributes to Turkey's energy supply security. 44 percent of domestic production comes solely from Gabar. A new story will begin to be written in the process of a terror-free Turkey. While getting rid of a heavy burden costing the Turkish economy 2 trillion dollars, these resources will be directed to more productive areas. Four fields have been identified in Diyarbakır. We plan to work on 24 wells in the coming years. We will continue our activities both domestically and abroad to transform Turkish Petroleum into a company producing 1 million barrels of oil and natural gas."
Highlights from Erdoğan's statements: "I am delighted to host you at the second Istanbul Natural Resources Summit. I hope the summit, organized around the theme of energy security and cooperation in the changing global landscape, will be beneficial for the sector. I thank our Ministry of Energy and Turkuaz Media for pioneering the second organization of this summit.
We are in a period where energy supply security is gaining importance in every field, from daily life to international politics. Energy solidifies its role as a power element crucial for national security, development, and regional stability. Obtaining energy resources in a cost-effective manner is becoming important for states. Recent events show how vital energy supply security is.
"TURKEY IS A TRANSIT AND HUB POINT" As we remember from the Russia-Ukraine war, energy is at the top of the areas negatively affected by the air strikes launched against Iran on February 28. We saw up to 50 percent increases in oil and natural gas prices. Serious problems emerged in energy supply. The aftershocks continue to hit tourism and the economy. Turkey is a transit and hub point. The recent crises in our region have confirmed this feature of Turkey. Our country stayed out of the war and contributed to calm with its initiatives prioritizing diplomacy. Turkey has emerged as a key actor in energy security and peace. Ensuring the safe, stable, and low-cost transit of energy resources is at least as important as possessing these resources.
Turkey's indispensability has been understood once again in this process. Our government's very significant steps over the last 23 years have a great share in this. When we came to office, Turkey's natural gas entry capacity was 90 billion cubic meters. Today, it has increased to 495 billion cubic meters. We supply natural gas through a total of 5 pipelines. Turkey procures natural gas from more than 50 companies. We have made Turkey one of the largest energy centers with LNG terminals, FSRU facilities, and pipelines. We will increase our daily LNG regasification capacity from the current 161 million cubic meters to 200 million cubic meters.
"17 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS WILL BENEFIT FROM NATURAL GAS FROM THE BLACK SEA" Our drilling and exploration activities announced in 2016 are another success of ours. With the motto 'Only those who seek find,' we have made serious investments in this field over 10 years. We conducted activities in the Blue Homeland with our own ships and equipment. With our Fatih drillship, we made the largest discovery in the history of the Republic. We are producing 9.5 million cubic meters of natural gas from the Sakarya well, which the opposition underestimated. With this production, we meet the energy needs of millions of households. With the Osmangazi Platform, we will increase our daily production to 20 million cubic meters. We will meet the needs of 8 million households from the Black Sea. Construction of our second floating platform continues. With its commissioning in 2028, daily production will rise to 45 million cubic meters, benefiting 16-17 million households.
"WE IDENTIFIED 4 FIELDS, WE PLAN TO WORK" Our oil discovery in Gabar Mountain has gone down in the history of the Republic. Regions once associated with terrorism are now associated with stability. Tourism is increasing, agriculture is developing, citizens are smiling. As the shadow of terrorism recedes, our cities are rapidly rising. The production in Gabar contributes to Turkey's energy supply security. 44 percent of domestic production comes solely from Gabar. A new story will begin to be written in the process of a terror-free Turkey. While getting rid of a heavy burden costing the Turkish economy 2 trillion dollars, these resources will be directed to more productive areas.
Four fields have been identified in Diyarbakır. We plan to work on 24 wells in the coming years. We will continue our activities both domestically and abroad to transform Turkish Petroleum into a company producing 1 million barrels of oil and natural gas.
Our drilling activities in Somalia, our work in Pakistan, our collaborations from Libya to Central Asia. Our exploration off the coast of Somalia is historically significant as Turkey's first deep-sea drilling abroad. We plan to complete the drilling operation within 6 to 9 months.
In our neighbor Syria, our work continues with the new government in both mining and oil sectors. As Turkey, we are providing the necessary support to the Syrian government to complete the process smoothly. On the other hand, we are engaged in major work in the mining field. We rank 9th in terms of mineral diversity. Our country earned $6.2 billion in mining revenue in 2025. 74 percent of the world's boron reserves are in our country. Through Eti Maden, our country is the leader in the global boron market. The giant reserve of rare earth elements discovered in Eskişehir has moved Turkey to the global champions league. We obtained the first product in lithium-carbonate production in Eskişehir.
"FULL INDEPENDENCE IN ENERGY IS TURKEY'S HOLY GRAIL" Critical minerals have now become as important as oil and natural gas. The future of many sectors, from the defense industry to high technology, is linked to this race. Turkey aims to be a game maker, not a spectator, in this race.
Despite those whose horizons and visions cannot surpass the old Turkey, it became the 4th largest country in the world with the deepest sea fleet. We have implemented the largest projects in our history in the field of clean energy. We achieved all this thanks to the climate of peace. We stood on solid ground. We walked determinedly. We also achieved a historic success in energy. Inshallah, we will work to achieve even greater successes in energy, mining, and natural resources."
We will process all resources within our sovereign domains. Just as in the defense industry, full independence in energy is the red diamond of our country. Turkey is walking confidently toward this goal. May God make our way clear, I say. "