On February 7, 2020, the Atlantic Council IN TURKEY hosted Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Energy Resources Francis R. Fannon for a private roundtable with business leaders and experts in Istanbul. Atlantic Council Turkey Program Director and Representative Defne Sadıklar Arslan moderated the roundtable. Assistant Secretary Fannon was visiting Turkey for talks with officials at the tail end of a trip to the region.

The discussion revolved around regional energy issues Turkey is at the center of, including the regional diversification of natural gas sources, the East Med natural gas landscape and the impact of growing US liquified natural gas (LNG) exports. Participants also raised the issue of US-Turkey relations, noting the historically positive role energy has played in bilateral relations.