Turkey: The Center of Energy Geopolitics
Turkey is at the center of energy geopolitics, particularly given its indispensable geopolitical position for transporting energy resources from the Middle East and the Caspian Basin.
This was the theme of an an opinion piece pubIished in Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review, by Taner Yıldız, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey.
The Minister commented that Turkey also aims to be a “terminal country” – meaning the position of transporting and ensuring secondary supply resources in energy geopolitics.
Tildiz also restated the Turkish commitment to the Nabucco Gas Pipeline.
“I would like to emphasize our Government’s proactive support for the Nabucco project.
Nabucco will contribute to the market economy and is going to have a positive effect on gas pricing mechanisms.
Attraction of international buyers and sellers will increase competition.Europe will need a considerable amount of gas imports in the future, and Nabucco – along with other similar projects – envisage varied gas sources.
To summarize, the strategic objectives behind Nabucco are:
To open a new gas supply corridor for Europe and for the countries involved in the project; to raise the transit profile of the participating countries along the route; to contribute to the security of supply for all partner countries, and also for Europe as a whole; to strengthen the role of the gas pipeline grids of all Nabucco partners in connection with the European gas network; to contribute to the well functioning single gas market, by providing transparency and increasing competitiveness, as mentioned in the EU Gas Directive.”