Turkey will not reduce Iranian oil and gas imports: Turkish energy minister

TEHRAN,Nov.10(MNA) - Turkey will not reduce the oil and gas it imports from Iran when an exemption from U.S. sanctions expires on December 3, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said late on Wednesday. Turkey is seeking new sources of oil and has continued to request more crude from Saudi Arabia, Libya, Russia and other countries from which it already buys, Yildiz added, Reuters reported. “Turkey does not plan to reduce gas supplies from Iran, as the EU sanctions against Iran will not cover existing contracts,” Yildiz said on Tuesday. In 1996, Iran and Turkey signed a 25 year agreement to supply 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey annually. On October 22, Yildiz said that Iran will likely reduce the price of gas exported to Turkey. According to the statistic data of the Turkish State Pipeline Company Botas, Turkey imported 39.7 billion cubic meters of gas from Iran in 2011. Russia ranks first, followed by Iran and Azerbaijan among exporters of gas to Turkey. On October 15, EU imposed fresh sanctions against Iran. It includes an embargo on Iranian natural gas and also targets Iranian banking, trade and shipping. The Iranian Oil Ministry has said the EU’s recent sanction is mere ‘propaganda campaign’ as Iran exports no gas to the European bloc. “Right now Iran has no gas exports to the EU and the threat of sanctions [against Iran’s gas] is mere propaganda campaign,” Press TV quoted Alireza Nikzad Rahbar, a spokesman for the ministry as saying.