Turkmenistan, home to some of the world’s largest natural gas reserves, has been seeking new customers for its energy exports. The landlocked country primarily relies on China for gas exports, but limited infrastructure has kept it from reaching other markets. A new agreement between Turkmenistan and Turkey offers a major opportunity for both nations.
On February 11, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced that Turkey’s state-owned pipeline operator, BOTAS, had signed a deal with Turkmenistan’s Turkmengaz to bring Turkmen gas to Turkey. The deal, which has been under negotiation for nearly a year, marks a significant step in strengthening energy ties between the two countries.
The deal had faced delays, particularly after BOTAS signed an agreement with France’s TotalEnergies in September 2024 to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, starting in 2027. This raised questions about how Turkey’s new LNG imports would affect plans to bring in gas from Turkmenistan. While both Turkey and Turkmenistan remained silent on the issue, market trends suggested that increased LNG imports could reduce Turkey’s need for Turkmen gas.
In March 2024, Turkmen President Serdar Berdymuhamedov and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signed a preliminary agreement for a gas swap deal. Berdymuhamedov emphasized the importance of diversifying export routes, noting that Turkmen gas could reach Turkey and Europe via Azerbaijan or Iran.
Since Turkmenistan and Turkey do not share a border, they rely on existing pipelines connecting Turkmenistan to Iran, and Iran to Turkey. The swap agreement means that gas imported from Turkmenistan to Iran will be matched by an equivalent volume exported from Iran to Turkey.
“We have taken a historic step in Türkiye-Turkmenistan energy cooperation,” Bayraktar said on February 11. “With this deal, which we have been working on for years, we will strengthen our natural gas supply security and enhance strategic cooperation between our countries.”
Although Bayraktar’s statement did not mention Iran, Turkmenistan’s state newspaper, Neytralny Turkmenistan, reported a February 10 phone call between Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov, former president and current chairman of the People’s Council, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Berdymuhamedov confirmed that the agreement would involve the transit of Turkmen gas through Iran to Turkey. However, specific details on the volume, price, and terms of the deal remain undisclosed.
Earlier, Bayraktar had said Turkmenistan could export up to 2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to Turkey annually using existing infrastructure via Azerbaijan and Iran. Plans for a future expansion include a target of 15 bcm annually over the next 20 years, but the expansion would require new pipeline infrastructure.
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