The Turkish State Energy Company Botas and BP signed a three -year agreement on the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG), Turkish Energy Minister Alpaslan Bayraktar announced Tuesday.

Under the agreement, Turkey will take 1.6 billion cubic meters of LNG per year, Bayraktar said, adding that the deal would be important to ensure the country’s energy proficiency during the winter months.

At the same time, the US energy company Argent LNG signed an agreement to supply 5 million metric tones of gas with the Turkish Energy Piyasalari Isletme AS (EPIAS) energy stock market, in a move aimed at gaining US gas in Europe and possibly Syria.

Argent LNG, which is developing a liquefied natural gas export facility in Louisiana, had in January signed a non -binding agreement for the supply of up to 5 million metric tonnes of fuel per year in Bangladesh, the first major US LNG supply agreement after the US LNG.

“The company was pledged to supply 5 million metric tonnes annually to southeast and central Europe in the context of this new cooperation, enhancing both the economic and energy security of its partners,” a press release said.

The agreement was signed at the Gastech Energy Conference in Milan.

“This is a major geopolitical move to import material into the market as a backup for EU countries,” said Argent LNG CEO Jonathan Bas.

“We are promoting US LNG in advance in the Eastern European market in order to enhance energy security and limit the wave of deficiencies,” he added.

He noted that the gas could also be purchased through Turkey in neighboring Syria, bypassing a possibly complicated direct agreement with Damascus, where, despite the removal of US sanctions after the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, they still exist.

Turkey aspires to become a regional energy hub and is trying to be placed as a supply channel to Southeast Europe.

Ankara is also expanding its cooperation in the energy sector with the United States. Last year he signed a 10 -year agreement on the LNG supply with ExxonMobil and an agreement on shale oil research with Continental Resources.

As an important natural gas market, Turkey is completing imports through LNG pipelines. Russia remains the largest supplier through pipelines, while LNG covers up to one -third of the country’s annual gas imports, amounting to 50 billion cubic meters (BCM).

The United States is the largest supplier of LNG.

Turkey has extensive LNG import infrastructure, with the state -owned Botas gas import company operating three terminals.

Ankara also attempts to be placed as a key player in rebuilding the post-Assad era, and last month began supplying 1.2 BCM Azeri gas in Syria.