Türkiye-Turkmenistan Gas Supply Agreement (2025)

The Türkiye-Turkmenistan Gas Supply Agreement (2025) is a pact signed between BOTAŞ and Türkmengaz aimed at enhancing Türkiye’s natural gas supply security and diversifying its energy sources through the supply of natural gas from Turkmenistan. Agreement Under the agreement, natural gas shipments from Turkmenistan to Türkiye are planned via a swap mechanism, with gas flows expected to commence by 1 March January 2025.

Background

Natural gas trade negotiations between Türkiye and Turkmenistan began in 1998 but yielded no concrete results over the years due to political, technical and logistics factors concrete. Despite possessing vast world natural gas reserves, Turkmenistan has remained heavily dependent on China, Iran and Russia for its gas exports. Türkiye, on the other hand, has sought to ensure supply security through pipeline gas imports from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG) from various suppliers.

To enhance energy cooperation between Türkiye and Turkmenistan, a meeting took place on 1 March 2024 during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkmenistan’s Council of Elders Chairman Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov, during which a memorandum of understanding was signed to strengthen collaboration in natural gas and oil. Subsequently, in 2024, Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar visited Turkmenistan and emphasized the need for progress in natural gas cooperation between the two countries.

Following these discussions, an agreement was signed between BOTAŞ and Türkmengaz on 11 February January 2025, establishing the technical and legal framework for transporting Turkmen gas to Türkiye via a swap mechanism through Iran.

Scope of the Agreement

• Under the agreement, natural gas delivered by Turkmenistan to Iran will be transferred to Türkiye via a swap arrangement through Iran.
• Türkiye will receive the gas at the Gürbulak natural gas interchange point on the Iran-Türkiye border and use it in its domestic market.
• As part of the supply process scheduled to begin on 1 March 2025, 1.3 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas will be delivered to Türkiye by the end of 2025.
• The initial phase aims to import up to 2 billion cubic meters of gas annually, with plans to increase this volume in subsequent years.
• The agreement is regarded as part of a broader strategic partnership aimed at increasing long-term gas flows from Turkmenistan to Türkiye and further to Europe via Türkiye.

Technical and Economic Dimensions

Türkiye’s ability to source pipeline gas from Turkmenistan is made possible through the use of Iran as a transit country via the swap mechanism. Direct pipeline projects such as the Trans-Caspian Pipeline (TCP) such as, which aimed to transport Turkmen gas directly to Türkiye, have not been realized due to diplomatic and technical obstacles. The swap mechanism enables gas transfer without the need for new pipeline construction by leveraging Iran’s existing natural gas infrastructure.

Türkiye’s current annual natural gas consumption exceeds 50 billion cubic meters. The arrival of Turkmen gas aims to enhance supply security and optimize costs by diversifying Türkiye’s energy sources.

Regional and Global Implications

This agreement seeks to reduce Turkmenistan’s dependence on China for natural gas exports by opening access to Türkiye and Europe markets. It is also viewed as a strategic strategic step for strengthening Türkiye’s role as an energy transit hub and advancing regional cooperation in the Turkish world.