Erdoğan says Türkiye energy hub in region
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on June 3 that Türkiye’s role as a regional energy hub has become increasingly important amid disruptions to global energy supplies, stressing that energy security is a matter of national sovereignty.
“Ensuring energy supply security is not only a development issue but also a matter of sovereignty and national security... As industrialization, urbanization, population and technology use increase, the need for energy rises. We know very well that demand will continue to grow,” Erdoğan said at a ceremony marking the inauguration of renewable energy investments completed in 2025.
He said Türkiye’s position as an energy transit and distribution center has strengthened in recent years, citing the country’s hosting of the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit and its expanding role in regional energy markets.
The president argued that a crisis involving Iran that began on Feb. 28 and remains unresolved had underscored Türkiye’s strategic importance in global energy supply chains. Erdoğan said disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz caused one of the largest oil supply interruptions in history, affecting roughly a quarter of global oil shipments and one-fifth of liquefied natural gas trade.
