ISTANBUL -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Friday said that Turkey has discovered significant natural gas reserves in the Black Sea.

"Our Fatih drilling ship has discovered 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves in Tuna-1 well," Erdogan said at a televised speech in Istanbul.

"Turkey has made the biggest natural gas discovery in its history," he noted, saying that new natural gas discoveries in the same region would be highly likely in the near future.

"We aim to provide the Black Sea gas to use in 2023," he added.

The Fatih vessel started its drilling activities in late July in an exploration zone known as Tuna-1 off the northern Zonguldak province in the Black Sea region.