Turkish, Azerbaijani gas supply to Syria will support development, regional security: President Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that gas supplies to Syria launched through a joint Turkish-Azerbaijani initiative will support the country's development and regional security.

"The contribution of gas supplies to Syria, which began last August as a result of the Türkiye-Azerbaijan joint initiative, to this country's development and regional security is indisputable," Erdogan said in a message at the opening of Baku Energy Week.

Erdogan said recent regional developments once again demonstrated the importance of energy steps taken with Azerbaijan, and that the two countries have continued to realize many mega projects once considered impossible for the region.

He cited the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum and Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline projects, which were launched with Azerbaijan and completed with Georgia's contribution.

Cooperation between Türkiye and Azerbaijan deepened further through the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli and Shah Deniz partnerships, while the new partnership in Shafag-Asiman shows that bilateral energy cooperation continues without slowing down, he added.

Erdogan said the Igdir-Nakhchivan gas pipeline, which entered into service last year, strengthened the energy supply security of Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan region.

Electricity interconnections between Türkiye and Azerbaijan remain strategically important, he said, adding that the Green Electricity Transmission and Trade project among Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Bulgaria is expected to contribute to the energy security of the wider region.

On regional energy routes, Erdogan said there are major opportunities to improve cooperation on exporting Turkmen gas via Azerbaijan and Türkiye.

He added that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is being used increasingly to transport Kazakhstan's natural resources to Western markets.

Türkiye has a vision to ensure effectiveness across all dimensions of energy, including renewable and green energy, based on efficiency and respect for the environment, Erdogan said.

Türkiye, he added, will reinforce its determination to be among the leading and exemplary countries in global climate action by hosting the COP31 summit in Antalya on Nov. 9-20.