"First signing on the way to the gas center" - under this title, the Turkish newspaper "Yeni Shafak" reports on the agreement signed yesterday in Sofia between the Bulgarian state gas company "Bulgargaz" and the Turkish state energy company "Botaş" (BOTAŞ) for access to the terminals for liquefied gas (LNG) and the gas transmission network in Turkey.

As stated in the news published on the front page of the newspaper, the agreement will ensure the transfer of natural gas between Turkey and Bulgaria in the amount of up to 1.5 billion cubic meters per year. 

The document, whose term is 13 years, was signed by the managements of "Bulgargaz" and "Botash" in the presence of the acting Minister of Energy Rosen Hristov and the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez.

"Yeni Shafak" quotes the words of Turkish Energy Minister Dönmez, who pointed out that the agreement is an important step towards turning Turkey into an energy hub.

According to him, it will make a great contribution to the energy security of Europe, above all of Bulgaria. 

"Turkiye" writes on the subject today on its front page.

We signed an agreement with Turkey for the supply of natural gas

"We have taken the first step towards the gas hub", reads the headline of the newspaper, which in the headline adds: "The signature has been placed, exports to Bulgaria begin".

Turkiye notes that Bulgaria will cover approximately 1/3 of its gas needs annually with blue fuel processed in Turkey. 

In this context, the publication recalls that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed in October that Turkey become a gas supply center as the safest route to Europe, after the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea were damaged by explosions in September.

The Turkish president said he agreed with the idea.

Another Turkish newspaper - "Aksham" - writes about a "historic signature with Sofia". 

"Gas from Turkey to an EU country", reads the title of the material published on the front page of "Aksham" this morning.

The newspaper explains that under the agreement, the natural gas that Bulgaria will buy from the international markets will be processed in Turkey and transported via a pipeline to the Bulgarian side.  

The signing of the agreement was also reported by the state television TRT Haber, which highlighted the speech of the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Fatih Dönmez, after the ceremony.

Dönmez has expressed the wish that 2023 will be a year in which the cooperation between the two countries will strengthen, especially in the field of energy. 

"With this infrastructure, we have placed another brick towards (turning Turkey into a) gas center," quoted Minister TRT Haber as saying.

The private agency IHA described the agreement between Turkey and Bulgaria as "historic", and the state-owned Anatolia Agency quoted the opinion expressed by Dönmez that the document will "be an important step to increase the security of (supply of) natural gas in the Balkans". 

The minister also stated that Turkey, which has five LNG terminals, supplies gas from 15 countries through seven different lines and terminals.

According to him, it is possible to increase this capacity in a very short period of time with the investments that will be made both by the supplier countries and by the European countries, AA states in its information on the subject.

Turkey