"Turkey is one of the largest [gas] consumers in Europe — 60 billion cubic meters last year — and we plan to increase consumption [of gas] this year... We are trying to diversify supplies," Bayraktar said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which is taking place in Russia's St. Petersburg from June 15-18.
Later in the day, the Turkish deputy minister told reporters that the country's demand for gas in 2022 is likely to approach the 2021 figures. At the same time, the expected increase in gas consumption will depend on gas prices and the use of alternative energy resources, Bayraktar added.
"We need to make full use of the current contract and the current infrastructure," the deputy minister said, adding that there will be no problems with gas supplies from Russia to Turkey despite Western sanctions.
In addition, Bayraktar said that Ankara is developing long-term oil and gas exploration programs and investing in infrastructure progress. In particular, Turkey has launched two gas mega-projects with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Greece, Albania and Italy.
Many countries in the world have been recently facing disruptions in supply chains and increased oil and gas prices due to the impact of Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its special military operation in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday that Russia considered Turkey as a potential logistics center that may manage shipments to and from Russia.
"We believe that today Turkey can become a major trade and logistics hub for goods supply both to and from Russia. This includes imports from Turkey and imports from third countries. We know what avenues for developing cooperation we have in this sphere," Novak said at the Russia-Turkey business dialogue on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
According to the official, Moscow hopes to discuss container freight, ferry traffic, port infrastructure and logistics hubs. Russia is ready to negotiate government's assistance to these initiatives as well as reducing red tape to bring these plans to fruition.
The 25th SPIEF was declared open on Wednesday and will run through Saturday. The forum is a leading global platform for members of the business community to discuss key economic issues facing Russia, emerging markets, and the world as a whole. Sputnik is the official media partner of the event.