Erdogan Plans to Discuss Gas Roadmap With Leaders of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan

ANKARA (Sputnik) - The leaders of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan will meet to determine a roadmap for the delivery of Turkmen gas to Turkey, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said.

"This topic [gas hub] has been on our agenda for a long time. We have repeatedly discussed this topic with respected [Russian President] Mr. [Vladimir] Putin," Erdogan said at a Sunday youth meeting in Mardin.

The Turkish leader said that during his recent visit to Turkmenistan, he discussed possible supplies of Turkmen gas to Turkey with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.

"Relevant instructions have now been given to the Turkish Ministry of Energy, which will carry out preparatory work with its Azerbaijani and Turkmen counterparts. After this preliminary work, we - the leaders of the three countries - will meet again and determine the roadmap and make a decision. Gas supplies from Turkmenistan through Azerbaijan to our country will facilitate our work," Erdogan said on Sunday.

On Wednesday, after a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in the western Turkmen city of Awaza, Erdogan said that it was necessary to start work for arranging the transit of gas from Turkmenistan to Western markets.

On Thursday, Erdogan said that he had instructed to work out a mechanism for the supply of Turkmen gas to Europe through Turkey within a month.