Turkey imported Libyan oil to replace Iranian oil

"We will start to buy Libyan crude through the Society of Turkish Petroleum Refineries (TUPRAS) in 2012. We believe it is the right step to take, to promote our trade relations with Libya to help normalize the country," said . "We will reduce the amount of oil purchased from Iran accordingly," he added, as reported by state news agency tuca, Anatolia.

Thus, the Turkish Executive buy about one million tons of oil from Libya in 2012. TUPRAS said March 20 that would reduce the amount of crude oil purchase from Iran by 20 percent and that this amount would be replaced through other sources.

Concerning the statements of the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Francis J. Ricciardone, on Thursday, which said Washington expects Ankara to cut imports of Iranian oil, Yildiz said he hoped the ambassador "did not make those statements."

"We expect Turkey to reduce its oil imports from Iran, but we concluded that Ankara has made a decision about this," Ricciardone said.

"We could discuss this matter at a meeting, but I think they meant this. We can discuss it after reading the transcripts of their statements," she added Yildiz