UPDATE 3 - Turkey's natural gas find hailed internationally

ADDS CONGRATULATIONS FROM ARAB COUNTRIES

By Berk Ozkan, Zuhal Demirci, Ruslan Rehimov, Yosra Ouanes, Cagri Kosak

ISTANBUL/ANKARA/BAKU/ TUNIS(AA) - Palestine, Azerbaijan and Ukraine congratulated Turkey on Saturday for its discovery of major natural gas reserves in the Black Sea.

Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call, Turkey's Communications Directorate said in a statement.

He hailed Turkey's success as Palestine’s success, while Erdogan reiterated Ankara’s support for the Palestinian cause.

The two leaders also discussed bilateral ties and regional developments, the statement said.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov phoned his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu to congratulate him on the significant find, according to diplomatic sources.

In a phone call, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Erdogan, expressing hope that the reserves benefit Turkey, Ankara's Communications Directorate said in a statement.

Erdogan and Zelensky also discussed regional developments and steps to enhance bilateral relations, the statement added.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev sent a letter to Erdogan congratulating Turkey's success in the recent discovery, the Azerbaijani Presidency said in a statement.

The reserves' discovery is a sign of Turkey's industrial potential and its increasing power, said Aliyev, underlining that Turkey had taken important steps in the energy security field.

"I believe that the brotherhood and friendship ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan will continue to strengthen and improve," Aliyev added.

Meanwhile, prominent figures in the Arab world also voiced their congratulations to Turkey for its newly discovered natural gas.

Jaber Al Harmi, a Qatari journalist, said on Twitter that he was pleased with Turkey's success.

Underlining that President Erdogan was fighting for his country and nation, Harmi said: "Arab leaders are plotting against their own nations and destroying their own countries."

"With the discovery of new energy sources in the Black Sea, Turkey has strengthened its pivotal state position in the region," Iraqi thinker Mohammed al-Kubaisi said on Twitter.

Muhammad al-Mukhtar al-Shinqiti, a Mauritanian author, Ania al Afandi, an Algerian journalist and Hamid al-Ali, a Kuwaiti Sheikh also congratulated Turkey via Twitter.

Mohamed Ghazi Ben Jemia, a Tunisian energy expert, told Anadolu Agency that this was a major discovery that could lead to new potential and opportunities in the energy field.

Jemia added that the discovery would decrease Turkey's external dependency.

President Erdogan announced on Friday that Turkey has found some 320 billion cubic meters (11.3 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas reserves after the drill ship Fatih started work on July 20 off the Black Sea coast.

He said the discovery is the biggest in the country’s history and Turkey aims to have the natural gas ready for public use in 2023.

The president added that more reserves are likely to be found in nearby areas of the Black Sea region.

* Contributions and writing by Sena Guler and Gozde Bayar