Anchoring Turkey to Europe via Nabucco
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 07, 2009 00:00
The much-expected news came Friday. After long negotiations, Turkey has invited all participant and observer countries to Ankara for a ceremony where the intergovernmental agreement for the Nabucco natural gas pipeline will be signed.
The readers of the Daily News were informed in depth about the developments in our weekend edition. If there is no last minute surprise, leaders of source, transit and consumer countries will come together for the ceremony next Monday.
It would not be an exaggeration to describe it as historic.
First, because it will be a major step for the European Union and its efforts at a coherent energy security policy, something the 27-member union has been seeking for years. Being one of the world’s most important energy consuming markets, the EU will need an extra 200 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas by 2030. The Nabucco pipeline will only provide 31 bcm of the need, but its importance is much more than its capacity. For many, the defeat of Nabucco will be considered a very bad sign for Europe’s future political unity.
Second, it will be the second huge pipeline project designed to carry Caspian reserves to the world markets from non-Russian territories. Like the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, it will cross Turkish territory before meeting with European consumers. That would constitute a significant step for Turkey to become the energy hub in the region, thus increasing its already important geo-strategic positioning.
Without introducing this advantage as leverage for Turkey’s full membership in the EU, it could perfectly highlight this country as a reliable partner for a joint future. In this equation, a great portion of responsibility lies on the shoulders of Turkey and its leaders.
In our age, energy security is key for human lives. Not a single country, even one that sits on rich energy reserves or that hosts pipelines on its territory, has the right to use its advantages as a weapon for its foreign policy interests.
The BTC pipeline has shown that Turkey is the best option for channeling the Caspian reserves to the world markets. However, to be frank, Turkey’s handling of this Nabucco project was full of ups and downs. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan linking Nabucco with the opening of the "energy chapter" for the full membership negotiations caused concern in Europe.
"What Turkey should not do is to follow the footsteps of Russia. We urge them not to do it the Russian way. We really do not want to deal with another Russia," a top official told the Daily News.
Turkey should play its cards more openly and prove to everyone that it is a trustworthy partner in transferring energy to the entire world.
It would not be an exaggeration to describe it as historic.
First, because it will be a major step for the European Union and its efforts at a coherent energy security policy, something the 27-member union has been seeking for years. Being one of the world’s most important energy consuming markets, the EU will need an extra 200 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas by 2030. The Nabucco pipeline will only provide 31 bcm of the need, but its importance is much more than its capacity. For many, the defeat of Nabucco will be considered a very bad sign for Europe’s future political unity.
Second, it will be the second huge pipeline project designed to carry Caspian reserves to the world markets from non-Russian territories. Like the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, it will cross Turkish territory before meeting with European consumers. That would constitute a significant step for Turkey to become the energy hub in the region, thus increasing its already important geo-strategic positioning.
Without introducing this advantage as leverage for Turkey’s full membership in the EU, it could perfectly highlight this country as a reliable partner for a joint future. In this equation, a great portion of responsibility lies on the shoulders of Turkey and its leaders.
In our age, energy security is key for human lives. Not a single country, even one that sits on rich energy reserves or that hosts pipelines on its territory, has the right to use its advantages as a weapon for its foreign policy interests.
The BTC pipeline has shown that Turkey is the best option for channeling the Caspian reserves to the world markets. However, to be frank, Turkey’s handling of this Nabucco project was full of ups and downs. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan linking Nabucco with the opening of the "energy chapter" for the full membership negotiations caused concern in Europe.
"What Turkey should not do is to follow the footsteps of Russia. We urge them not to do it the Russian way. We really do not want to deal with another Russia," a top official told the Daily News.
Turkey should play its cards more openly and prove to everyone that it is a trustworthy partner in transferring energy to the entire world.