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TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN TO STEP UP ENERGY COOPERATION
Today's Zaman
June 5 2008
Turkey
In top-level talks yesterday regional allies Turkey and Azerbaijan
agreed to step up cooperation on energy and vowed to maintain
solidarity in their relations.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev in the autonomous Azerbaijani republic of Nakhichevan,
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Azerbaijan would
increase natural gas supplies via the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE)
pipeline to allow Turkey to meet part of its gas needs. "We have
given the necessary instructions to our energy ministers. They will
sit down and discuss the amount," Erdogan said.
Gas exports from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas fields to Turkey through
the 430-mile-long BTE pipeline, also known as the South Caucasus
pipeline, began in 2007.
The pipeline transmits Azeri gas through Georgia to Erzurum in eastern
Turkey. The amount of gas transported through BTE currently stands
at 6.3 billion per year. When the amount is increased as part of a
new phase of the project, Turkey will be able to meet its growing
natural gas needs from Azerbaijan.
Erdogan said a certain amount of gas could also be supplied to
Nabucco, a planned pipeline to transport natural gas from Central
Asia to Western Europe. "It may be possible to supply some gas to
Nabucco. We discussed this issue as well," said Erdogan.
The Nabucco pipeline is planned to transport natural gas from Turkey to
Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. It will run from Erzurum
in Turkey to Baumgarten an der March, a major natural gas hub in
Austria. The pipeline, which is hoped to reduce European dependence
on Russia for natural gas, is backed by the United States and the
European Union.
Officials said the two countries also agreed for Turkey to provide
electricity to Nakhichevan and launch direct flights between Ä°stanbul
and Nakhichevan and between Baku and Kars. Erdogan said he discussed
the issue of visa requirements for Turkish citizens traveling to
Azerbaijan with Aliyev, adding that a consensus emerged, without
elaborating. Officials said the two leaders agreed to ease visa
restrictions.
Erdogan is the first Turkish prime minister to visit Nakhichevan, a
landlocked Azerbaijani enclave sharing a common border with Turkey,
in 16 years. Turkey and Azerbaijan cooperate closely on regional
issues. Turkey closed its border with neighboring Armenia after it
invaded Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan. It
refuses to normalize its relations unless Armenia withdraws its troops
from Nagorno-Karabakh. Erdogan said Turkey will continue to support
Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue in the future.
He also said the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline and
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline projects show how strong the
relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are. A planned railway that
will link Turkey and Azerbaijan via Georgia are another piece of the
cooperation, he noted.
According to Erdogan, the fact that the meeting took place in
Nakhichevan has a "message to the region and the world" about the
depth of friendship between Turkey and Azerbaijan. "Our solidarity
will continue with the same determination and same faith."
On the economic front, the prime minister said the two countries
aimed at increasing the trade volume from $1.2 billion to $3 billion
in the next couple of years. He also noted that Turkey is the leading
foreign investor in non-oil sectors of Azerbaijan, with the amount
of Turkish investments having reached $5.5 billion.
Aliyev said the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum projects
were important in uniting Azerbaijan and Turkey. He praised Turkish
companies' activities in his country, adding that more opportunities
emerged for Nakhichevan from his talks with Erdogan.
"We share happiness together; we are saddened together when there are
injustices and we intervene in problems together," Aliyev said. "Our
enemies are the same, our friends are the same."
Erdogan said Azerbaijan backs Turkey's bid to get temporary
representation at the UN Security Council in 2009-2010 and that Turkey
supports Azerbaijan's drive for a seat on the council in 2011-2012. The
two countries also support each other's position in the Organiza-tion
of the Islamic Conference (OIC), he said.
--Boundary_(ID_R+6KrxrNHt5BLnCY5k2yaQ)--
Today's Zaman
June 5 2008
Turkey
In top-level talks yesterday regional allies Turkey and Azerbaijan
agreed to step up cooperation on energy and vowed to maintain
solidarity in their relations.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev in the autonomous Azerbaijani republic of Nakhichevan,
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Azerbaijan would
increase natural gas supplies via the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE)
pipeline to allow Turkey to meet part of its gas needs. "We have
given the necessary instructions to our energy ministers. They will
sit down and discuss the amount," Erdogan said.
Gas exports from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas fields to Turkey through
the 430-mile-long BTE pipeline, also known as the South Caucasus
pipeline, began in 2007.
The pipeline transmits Azeri gas through Georgia to Erzurum in eastern
Turkey. The amount of gas transported through BTE currently stands
at 6.3 billion per year. When the amount is increased as part of a
new phase of the project, Turkey will be able to meet its growing
natural gas needs from Azerbaijan.
Erdogan said a certain amount of gas could also be supplied to
Nabucco, a planned pipeline to transport natural gas from Central
Asia to Western Europe. "It may be possible to supply some gas to
Nabucco. We discussed this issue as well," said Erdogan.
The Nabucco pipeline is planned to transport natural gas from Turkey to
Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. It will run from Erzurum
in Turkey to Baumgarten an der March, a major natural gas hub in
Austria. The pipeline, which is hoped to reduce European dependence
on Russia for natural gas, is backed by the United States and the
European Union.
Officials said the two countries also agreed for Turkey to provide
electricity to Nakhichevan and launch direct flights between Ä°stanbul
and Nakhichevan and between Baku and Kars. Erdogan said he discussed
the issue of visa requirements for Turkish citizens traveling to
Azerbaijan with Aliyev, adding that a consensus emerged, without
elaborating. Officials said the two leaders agreed to ease visa
restrictions.
Erdogan is the first Turkish prime minister to visit Nakhichevan, a
landlocked Azerbaijani enclave sharing a common border with Turkey,
in 16 years. Turkey and Azerbaijan cooperate closely on regional
issues. Turkey closed its border with neighboring Armenia after it
invaded Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan. It
refuses to normalize its relations unless Armenia withdraws its troops
from Nagorno-Karabakh. Erdogan said Turkey will continue to support
Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue in the future.
He also said the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline and
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline projects show how strong the
relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are. A planned railway that
will link Turkey and Azerbaijan via Georgia are another piece of the
cooperation, he noted.
According to Erdogan, the fact that the meeting took place in
Nakhichevan has a "message to the region and the world" about the
depth of friendship between Turkey and Azerbaijan. "Our solidarity
will continue with the same determination and same faith."
On the economic front, the prime minister said the two countries
aimed at increasing the trade volume from $1.2 billion to $3 billion
in the next couple of years. He also noted that Turkey is the leading
foreign investor in non-oil sectors of Azerbaijan, with the amount
of Turkish investments having reached $5.5 billion.
Aliyev said the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum projects
were important in uniting Azerbaijan and Turkey. He praised Turkish
companies' activities in his country, adding that more opportunities
emerged for Nakhichevan from his talks with Erdogan.
"We share happiness together; we are saddened together when there are
injustices and we intervene in problems together," Aliyev said. "Our
enemies are the same, our friends are the same."
Erdogan said Azerbaijan backs Turkey's bid to get temporary
representation at the UN Security Council in 2009-2010 and that Turkey
supports Azerbaijan's drive for a seat on the council in 2011-2012. The
two countries also support each other's position in the Organiza-tion
of the Islamic Conference (OIC), he said.
--Boundary_(ID_R+6KrxrNHt5BLnCY5k2yaQ)--