Turkey’s Gabar oil field production nears $2 billion: Erdogan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the Mount Gabar field in the Kurdish-majority southeast has produced nearly $2 billion worth of oil.

Turkey “is in a strategic position in the global energy equation thanks to its natural resources, geographical location, and proximity to hydrocarbon reserves,” Erdogan said at the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit.

“To date, over 26 million barrels, with a total value approaching 2 billion dollars, have been produced in Gabar,” he added.

In December 2022, Erdogan announced the discovery of the oil field in Sirnak province, containing an estimated 150 million barrels valued at approximately $12 billion.

Sirnak is a small province in southeastern Turkey, bordering the Kurdistan Region.

Erdogan also said that the daily oil production at the field had reached 81,000 barrels. 

Turkey is struggling with crippling economic woes, its currency is losing value and people are facing soaring inflation and a cost of living crisis.