site.btaMinister Malinov Attends Energy Forum in Istanbul

With the participation of the energy ministers of Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary, Moldova, Libya, Serbia, Uzbekistan, the deputy energy minister of Russia, as well as a large number of specialists, the first international energy forum under the title "Common Future, Common Goals" is meeting in Istanbul under the auspices of the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the opening of the forum. In his speech, he pointed out that the Russia-Ukraine war has shown the risks of foreign energy dependence.

"The crises that have recently erupted in our region have reminded us once again how vital security of energy supply is for the economies of countries. The war between Russia and Ukraine, which has passed its thousandth day, has shown the risks of foreign dependence, especially in the field of energy. Turkiye was one of the countries that survived this painful period most easily thanks to the balanced relations it established between the two warring parties. On the other hand, our European friends felt first-hand the energy crisis caused by the war and faced very serious difficulties," Erdogan said.

In this regard, the Turkish head of State underlined the role of energy security, which is important for every country. "Although there is no crisis in energy supplies today, we always need to be ready to guarantee their security," he said.

Erdogan said that once the Akkuyu nuclear power plant is running at full capacity, it will meet 10% of Turkiye’s electricity needs. "We aim to reach a capacity of 20,000 megawatts in nuclear power in 2050."

Bulgarian Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov made a presentation on Bulgaria's energy development in one of the main panels of the forum.

Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Bayraktar, who moderated the panel, said the aim was to discuss global developments in store for the energy sector. 

The forum is hosted by the Anadolu Agency.