Shell to explore oil and gas in the Black Sea and Diyarbakir

Royal Dutch Shell has started searching for shale gas in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said on Tuesday when the company's chief executive met with him as well as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Royal Dutch Shell has started searching for shale gas in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said on Tuesday when the company's chief executive met with him as well as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Speaking during his meeting with CEO Peter Voser in the morning, Yildiz said the company's exploration at the province's Saribugday-1 field was launched last week. The government agreed with Shell in 2011 to a partnership in oil and gas drilling off Turkey's southern coast in the Mediterranean Sea, and that deal also envisioned cooperation in shale gas exploration. "It is important that our cooperation continue in many fields," Yildiz noted. Voser was received by Erdogan later in the day but no explanation was made in relation to what was discussed at that meeting. Alongside its activities in the Mediterranean and exploring for shale gas in Diyarbakir, Dutch Shell is also interested in oil and gas exploration in Turkey's Black Sea.