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Turkish Energy and and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar arrived in Şırnak with engineering students from various universities as part of a series of visits. During his visit, he was accompanied by Şırnak Governor Birol Ekici and AK Party Şırnak MP Arslan Tatar.

Bayraktar and his delegation visited an oil well named after Bülent Sadioğlu, the former Exploration Director of the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), who passed away due to a heart attack in Hakkari’s Yüksekova district. At the Koca Yusuf drilling rig, they received briefings from officials.

Examining the rig alongside students, Minister Bayraktar stated:
"Koca Yusuf is a significant symbol of our national energy and mining policy, which we initiated in 2016. Our goal has never been just to eliminate our dependency on foreign energy sources like oil and natural gas. At the same time, we aim to end our reliance on imported equipment used in this industry.”

In a statement following the visit, Minister Bayraktar announced that oil production in Gabar has surpassed 80,000 barrels per day from 99 wells.

"We are at a new production site in the Bülent Sadioğlu Field, one of our latest locations in Gabar. Our drilling rig here is a living example of one of the most crucial localization targets in our national energy and mining policy. We are conducting drilling operations in this area with a powerful rig named ‘Koca Yusuf’ he said.

The Gabar discovery, made in September 2021, has been closely followed with great interest across the country and has generated immense excitement nationwide. This is the largest oil discovery in the history of the Republic of Turkiye, and today, we have successfully exceeded 80,000 barrels per day in production. We have achieved this production level from 99 wells, making Gabar one of the most efficient oil fields in Turkiye. Additionally, the oil we extract here is of very high quality,” the minister added.

Minister Bayraktar emphasized Turkiye’s determination to reduce energy dependency with newly discovered oil fields, saying:

"With the oil we produce from Sakarya Gas Field and Şırnak Gabar, we are advancing with great determination toward reducing our dependence on foreign energy sources,” he emphasized

Bayraktar stated that Gabar’s oil production represents an annual economic value of $2.3 billion, highlighting its impact:

"This production level also eliminates our need to import the equivalent amount of oil, making it economically significant. Beyond its financial benefits, it is also a crucial social project. This region was once associated with terrorism, but now we are walking toward a terror-free Turkiye.

As we liberate this region from terrorism, our work in the field has accelerated, and we are now seeing the results. We will increase the production capacity even further, continue to develop these oil fields, and pursue new discoveries.

This particular oil field was named in memory of Bülent Sadioğlu, our colleague who passed away last year in Hakkari. Another field was also named after Mehmet İrfan Güler, another team member. We believe there is great potential in these areas, and our efforts are in full swing.

We have built hundreds of kilometers of roads and continue our seismic surveys. Gabar has now become Turkiye’s oil hub, and we will keep expanding it. Right now, we have 3,200 workers in the field, and we came here to break fast with them. We also brought young students from various universities to witness this progress.

Finally, I would like to extend my best wishes for Ramadan Bayram to all our hardworking colleagues and the entire nation," the minister concluded.

After his speech, Minister Bayraktar and his delegation attended an iftar meal with workers at the Esma Çevik Oil Field.