ANKARA: Turkey could double the amount of natural gas it imports from Iran if the two countries can agree on a price, Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told Reuters on Thursday, a day after his visit to the Islamic Republic.

Turkey and Opec member Iran are still far from finding common ground on price, which Turkey claims is too expensive. But Iran has offered to sell more gas to energy-hungry Turkey, and the offer is being considered, Yildiz said in an interview.

“We have not found their price offer satisfactory at this stage. Obviously, without the price being agreed upon, we can't sign such a deal. Our teams will continue to work on this,” Yildiz said.

Iran's natural gas sales to Turkey were among the key topics of discussion during Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Tehran on Wednesday.

Turkey has long maintained that Iranian gas prices are too high. Turkey's state-owned Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) applied to an international court of arbitration in 2012over the gas price. The case is still pending.

Turkey depends on imports for almost all of its natural gas needs, estimated to hit 52 billion cubic meters this year.—Reuters