"WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD ENERGY CRISIS"
Stating that the developments on a global scale have brought energy security to the fore, Minister Bayraktar said that the current crisis occurred in a different period than the oil crises of the past.
Bayraktar used the following statements regarding the energy crisis:
"We are in the middle of an energy crisis in the world, and this is not my word, it is what energy experts all over the world say. We are facing the biggest energy crisis of modern times. This crisis is not like the 1973 oil crisis or the crisis after the 1979 Iranian Revolution."
Stating that the world is facing successive crises, Bayraktar stated that the pandemic in 2020, the Russia-Ukraine War that started in 2022, other conflicts, trade and tax wars and logistical problems affected the energy markets.
Drawing attention to the breaks and security risks in the supply chain, Bayraktar said:
"We have come to such a time that we live in a world of crises. We experienced a pandemic in 2020. In 2022, there was a Russia-Ukraine war in the middle of Europe, and it is still continuing. There are other wars, trade wars, tax wars. There are logistics crises in the world, there are also breaks in the supply chain. We are in such an energy crisis. We are in a big political crisis and a big security crisis."
Stating that the world is changing and countries are turning to more protectionist policies, Bayraktar said that countries' efforts to become self-sufficient are increasing.
"IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO CONSIDER A LIFE WITHOUT ENERGY"
Emphasizing that energy is decisive in every aspect of daily life, Bayraktar pointed out the importance of uninterrupted access to electricity, natural gas and fuel.
Bayraktar explained the importance of access to energy with the following words:
"The energy issue is one of the very important issues that directly affects the daily life and future of nations and states. It is not possible to think of a life without energy. It is not possible to think of a life without energy 24/7 in every aspect of our daily life. Therefore, we need to access energy in a quality, uninterrupted and cheap way."
Stating that energy often comes to the fore when there is a bill, price increase or outage, Bayraktar also drew attention to the efforts of the teams working throughout the year to maintain the energy supply.
Bayraktar made the following assessment on this issue:
"Currently, in some energy-rich countries, such as Russia, there are fuel shortages, fuel queues are reaching. Then energy comes to our agenda, it comes while paying the bill. Is there a price increase? Are you increasing the price of natural gas? Is there a price increase for electricity? Why are there increases in fuel prices every day? We are on the agenda like this."
Bayraktar stated that those who work to maintain uninterrupted energy services are often not visible and continued his words as follows:
"Actually, we exist with a negative agenda, but in fact, maybe your electricity is cut off once a month or a year, then you realize what energy is, but there is a very large team trying to deliver electricity to you, bring natural gas to you, bring fuel to you, 365 days a year and day and night. We also realize that sometimes these things are not seen. This is obviously a sad situation for those workers. I try to emphasize this at every opportunity."
Türkiye'S ENERGY IMPORT AFFECTS THE CURRENT DEFICIT
Stating that Türkiye's foreign dependency in the field of energy puts pressure on the economy, Bayraktar drew attention to the effect of energy and mineral imports on the current account deficit.
Stating that Türkiye has foreign exchange earning sectors such as tourism, but the need for foreign exchange continues due to imports, Bayraktar said that energy imports are also the basis of the breaks in the economy from time to time.
Bayraktar used the following statements in his statement on the subject:
"Türkiye imports so much energy that, unfortunately, we experience economic disruptions from time to time. Therefore, the issue we need to find a solution for is to reduce Türkiye's foreign dependence on energy."
Minister Bayraktar emphasized the impact of energy and mineral imports on the current account deficit and noted that one of Türkiye's main goals is to reduce foreign dependency in this field.
ENERGY DEMAND WILL INCREASE
Stating that the energy need in Türkiye will increase due to factors such as population growth and economic growth, as well as electric transportation, cooling needs and water purification, Bayraktar stated that the age of artificial intelligence is also an age of electricity.
He said that one of Türkiye's main goals is to meet the increasing energy demand, and the other is to contribute to reducing the current account deficit by reducing foreign dependency on oil, natural gas, coal and mineral imports.
Ankara University Rector Prof. Dr. The opening program, attended by Necdet Ünüvar, academicians and students, ended after the photo shoot and award presentation.
