* Photo: Presidency / Murat Çetinmühürdar
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President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced the good news that he had previously said that he would share with the public on Friday (August 21).
Holding a press conference at the Dolmabahçe Working Office in Beşiktaş, İstanbul at 3 p.m. today, President Erdoğan said, "Turkey has made the biggest natural gas discovery of its history in the Black Sea. It has discovered 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserve. Our aim is to make the Black Sea gas available for our nation in 2023."
'We have not lost our humanity'
Starting his remarks, Erdoğan said that "the lives of millions of people were disregarded for the sake of energy fields."
"Just think about what has been happening in Syria in recent years," he said, adding that "while Turkey went to help the victimized and aggrieved people, some have directly turned their attention to facilities."
"We are faced with the same thing in Libya," he added.
'320 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserve
Erdoğan broke his "good news" in following words:
"Now, I want to share my good news. Turkey has made the biggest natural gas discovery of its history in the Black Sea.
"Our drill ship Fatih discovered 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserve during its works in the Tuna-1 on July 20, 2020.
"I remember the day when I saw it off in the Bosphorus. Thank God that we have obtained the result and discovery.
"Our drill ship Fatih [meaning conqueror in Tr.] has made us all proud in a way worthy of its name. All works have been completed in the Sakarya exploration site, which was called Tuna-1 before.
"Discovery of new natural gas reserves seems possible in the same region. It might be part of a richer resource. As a country having material and immaterial hardships about energy for years, I believe that we will look at the future more confidently now. We will first open wells for examination, then we will move on to the construction and buildings works.
He has cited 2023 as the date
"Now, I am giving you the target: Our goal is to make the Black Sea gas available for our nation in 2023. With our Fatih and Yavuz ships, we worked to open 9 drilling wells in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
"We are waiting for similar good news from the Mediterranean. Our works in the Mediterranean will gain pace after the Kanuni ship under maintenance comes into operation again."
Further in his speech, Erdoğan said that "they were determined to solve Turkey's energy problem." Noting that even though Turkey has made progress thanks to the importance it attaches to the local and renewable energy resources, it is still in the position of an importer.
"Isn't it the reason for the current account deficit," he asked, adding that Turkey "would not stop until it became an exporter. "Turkey now has the power and resources to stand on its own feet," Erdoğan said.
He also referred to Greece and European Union (EU) in this context:
"All those who stand up against us about this issue, primarily Greece, know that we are right. While the EU provokes Greece and sets it against us, it needs to see that it is wearing out the union by doing this. It needs to be kept in mind that the maps that circulate around and do not have anything to do with the reality will harm the EU most.
"They will get their answers from Turkey, both in the field and on the table. Now, we believe that we have a much brighter way ahead of us. We will leave an important legacy to the next generations. We will keep on working day and night." (HA/SD)
