Ankara, Nov 11 (IANS): Turkey on Monday denied reports claiming that it is allowing crude oil shipments to Israel via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.

The BTC pipeline, which originates in Azerbaijan and passes through Georgia before reaching Turkey's Ceyhan port, exports oil from Azerbaijan's oil fields in the Caspian Sea.

In a statement, Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said that companies using the BTC pipeline respect Ankara's stance against trade with Israel and have refrained from any deliveries designated for Israeli ports.

The ministry added that the Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS), responsible for the management of the pipeline within Turkey, "has no involvement or discretion over the sale of the oil transported through the pipeline."

Recent media reports claimed that Azerbaijani oil exports to Israel continued to transit through the Turkish port despite Turkey's trade embargo against Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

Turkey claimed that it suspended trade with Israel in May due to Israeli military actions in Gaza. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, Turkey reported 5.4 billion US dollars in exports to Israel in 2023 and 1.6 billion dollars in imports.

Since 2010, ties between Turkey and Israel have been strained over the Palestinian issue.