ANKARA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye is negotiating a deal with Turkmenistan to extend the Turkmen natural gas supply deal for five years, and the talks are expected to be finalized within a year, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Tuesday.

"We have a long-term swap agreement target. We are working on a program that will probably extend a five-year swap agreement within this year," daily Hurriyet quoted Bayraktar as saying.

"Ideally, our ultimate objective is to transport Turkmen gas to Türkiye through a pipeline crossing the Caspian Sea," he added.

Earlier this month, the two countries signed a deal for the supply of Turkmen natural gas to Türkiye. The agreement, between Turkey's state-owned pipeline operator BOTAS and Turkmenistan's Turkmengaz, is set to begin on March 1, with gas flows of 1.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) via Iran.

Bayraktar said the gas could meet the energy needs of approximately 1.5 million households. Türkiye's total annual gas consumption is about 53 bcm, he said.

The negotiations come amid Türkiye's broader efforts to diversify its energy sources and enhance its role as a regional energy hub. Enditem

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