UPDATE - Turkey's natural gas find hailed internationally

UPDATES HEADLINE, LEDE; UPDATES WITH UKRAINE PRESIDENT'S PHONE CALL

By Berk Ozkan and Zuhal Demirci

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (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.

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