Tweet
THREE CRITICAL VISITS TOP TURKEY'S DIPLOMATIC AGENDA THIS WEEK
Hurriyet
May 9 2010
Turkey
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) will go to Greece and
Azerbaijan. DHA photo.
Three high-level visits on the diplomatic agenda will take place within
10 days, as President Abdullah Gul will host Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go to Greece
and Azerbaijan.
While energy issues will be on the agenda during talks with all three
countries, negotiations to ease visa requirements will be the main
highlight of talks with both Russia and Greece. Ankara and Baku have
overcome their differences during thorny negotiations over the price
and quantity of natural gas that Turkey will purchase from Azerbaijan.
The two countries will sign the agreements during Erdogan's visit to
Baku scheduled for May 17, the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review
has learned from official sources.
Turkey and Azerbaijan conducted difficult negotiations over the new
price of natural gas that Turkey has been purchasing for $120 per
1,000 cubic meters, about half the international market price. The
agreement to purchase gas for that amount was valid for only one
year, and after the agreement expired Turkey continued to pay the
same price while negotiations for a new price continued. Meanwhile,
Turkey has also been conducting talks for the purchase of natural
gas from a different field, Shah Deniz 2. The two sides negotiated
the price and quantity, as well as the transit fee for the gas.
Reaching an agreement became even more difficult following Turkey's
reconciliation process with Armenia. While angry at Turkey for signing
protocols to normalize its relations with Armenia without a solution to
problems between Yerevan and Baku, the Azerbaijani government dragged
its feet during the negotiations and used the gas as leverage over
Turkey. The lack of an agreement between Turkey and Azerbaijan also
jeopardized the Nabucco pipeline project, which would carry Caspian
natural gas to Europe through Turkey, because the pipeline is expected
to be filled with Azerbaijani gas during its initial phase.
The conclusion of an agreement between Turkey and Azerbaijan has
coincided with the collapse of the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation
process. Turkey has not sent the protocols for ratification to
Parliament, and Armenia suspended the ratification process last month
as a reaction to the delay in Turkey.
Erdogan will visit Baku nearly a year after his last visit to the
Azerbaijani capital. Ankara and Yerevan had announced that they
reached an agreement on the text of the protocols, and Erdogan
rushed to Baku on May 13 last year to soothe the Azeri reaction and
promised in a speech he delivered to the Azerbaijani government that
the protocols would not be ratified unless there is a solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem, an Azerbaijani territory occupied by Armenia.
Energy issues
Energy issues will also be on the agenda of Medvedev's visit to Ankara,
yet Turkish officials have been more cautious on the faith in the new
agreements in this field. Officials were not able to disclose with
certainty before Friday afternoon that the agreements being prepared
would be ready for the visit. Talks continued at full speed between
Ankara and Moscow to finalize an agreement on the Samsun-Ceyhan oil
pipeline project. After years of turning a cold shoulder, Russia
has decided to pass its oil through the pipeline, providing a green
light for the construction to start. The agreement will foresee the
establishment of a new company made up of the Calık group from Turkey,
ENI from Italy and a Russian company to operate the pipeline.
The two countries' officials will also try to make ready for signature
the agreement for Russia to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant,
a Turkish diplomat told the Daily News. If it proves difficult to reach
a consensus on the text of the documents, there is still a possibility
for signing the agreements since the remaining hurdles could be solved
during the talks between the two presidents, said the diplomat.
The same is also true for an agreement to lift visa requirements,
as officials from both sides have been working to have a document
ready by the time Medvedev comes to Ankara.
Turkey has been eager to change the visa regime with Russia since it
is more difficult for Turks to get visas in comparison to Russians
citizens, who get their visas at the border. Russia has a strict and
time-consuming visa regime for third countries. The Russian ambassador
to Ankara said recently at a conference in Istanbul that when he came
to Turkey three years ago, the possibility of lifting visa requirements
did not cross his mind.
Greece's visa situation
The facility of visa travel will also be on the agenda of Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Greece. Diplomatic sources
were equally cautious over whether concrete results could come at this
stage since Greece is bound by the EU's visa regulations. Meanwhile,
Erdogan is expected to be accompanied by 10 ministers, including its
energy and economy ministers.
The two prime ministers will discuss how Turkey can contribute
to alleviating Greece's economic troubles. Possible support from
Turkey might be kept at a low profile during talks since the public,
which is angry over the economic measures taken by the government,
might be sensitive to the idea of getting help from a country that
was considered an enemy just a decade ago.
The two heads of government are also expected to seek ways to
revitalize finding diplomatic solutions to decades-old problems in
the Aegean. Erdogan will most likely ask for the support of Athens
for solving issues related to Cyprus, and a Turkish-Greek-Italian
natural gas pipeline will also be on the agenda.
Hurriyet
May 9 2010
Turkey
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) will go to Greece and
Azerbaijan. DHA photo.
Three high-level visits on the diplomatic agenda will take place within
10 days, as President Abdullah Gul will host Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go to Greece
and Azerbaijan.
While energy issues will be on the agenda during talks with all three
countries, negotiations to ease visa requirements will be the main
highlight of talks with both Russia and Greece. Ankara and Baku have
overcome their differences during thorny negotiations over the price
and quantity of natural gas that Turkey will purchase from Azerbaijan.
The two countries will sign the agreements during Erdogan's visit to
Baku scheduled for May 17, the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review
has learned from official sources.
Turkey and Azerbaijan conducted difficult negotiations over the new
price of natural gas that Turkey has been purchasing for $120 per
1,000 cubic meters, about half the international market price. The
agreement to purchase gas for that amount was valid for only one
year, and after the agreement expired Turkey continued to pay the
same price while negotiations for a new price continued. Meanwhile,
Turkey has also been conducting talks for the purchase of natural
gas from a different field, Shah Deniz 2. The two sides negotiated
the price and quantity, as well as the transit fee for the gas.
Reaching an agreement became even more difficult following Turkey's
reconciliation process with Armenia. While angry at Turkey for signing
protocols to normalize its relations with Armenia without a solution to
problems between Yerevan and Baku, the Azerbaijani government dragged
its feet during the negotiations and used the gas as leverage over
Turkey. The lack of an agreement between Turkey and Azerbaijan also
jeopardized the Nabucco pipeline project, which would carry Caspian
natural gas to Europe through Turkey, because the pipeline is expected
to be filled with Azerbaijani gas during its initial phase.
The conclusion of an agreement between Turkey and Azerbaijan has
coincided with the collapse of the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation
process. Turkey has not sent the protocols for ratification to
Parliament, and Armenia suspended the ratification process last month
as a reaction to the delay in Turkey.
Erdogan will visit Baku nearly a year after his last visit to the
Azerbaijani capital. Ankara and Yerevan had announced that they
reached an agreement on the text of the protocols, and Erdogan
rushed to Baku on May 13 last year to soothe the Azeri reaction and
promised in a speech he delivered to the Azerbaijani government that
the protocols would not be ratified unless there is a solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem, an Azerbaijani territory occupied by Armenia.
Energy issues
Energy issues will also be on the agenda of Medvedev's visit to Ankara,
yet Turkish officials have been more cautious on the faith in the new
agreements in this field. Officials were not able to disclose with
certainty before Friday afternoon that the agreements being prepared
would be ready for the visit. Talks continued at full speed between
Ankara and Moscow to finalize an agreement on the Samsun-Ceyhan oil
pipeline project. After years of turning a cold shoulder, Russia
has decided to pass its oil through the pipeline, providing a green
light for the construction to start. The agreement will foresee the
establishment of a new company made up of the Calık group from Turkey,
ENI from Italy and a Russian company to operate the pipeline.
The two countries' officials will also try to make ready for signature
the agreement for Russia to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant,
a Turkish diplomat told the Daily News. If it proves difficult to reach
a consensus on the text of the documents, there is still a possibility
for signing the agreements since the remaining hurdles could be solved
during the talks between the two presidents, said the diplomat.
The same is also true for an agreement to lift visa requirements,
as officials from both sides have been working to have a document
ready by the time Medvedev comes to Ankara.
Turkey has been eager to change the visa regime with Russia since it
is more difficult for Turks to get visas in comparison to Russians
citizens, who get their visas at the border. Russia has a strict and
time-consuming visa regime for third countries. The Russian ambassador
to Ankara said recently at a conference in Istanbul that when he came
to Turkey three years ago, the possibility of lifting visa requirements
did not cross his mind.
Greece's visa situation
The facility of visa travel will also be on the agenda of Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Greece. Diplomatic sources
were equally cautious over whether concrete results could come at this
stage since Greece is bound by the EU's visa regulations. Meanwhile,
Erdogan is expected to be accompanied by 10 ministers, including its
energy and economy ministers.
The two prime ministers will discuss how Turkey can contribute
to alleviating Greece's economic troubles. Possible support from
Turkey might be kept at a low profile during talks since the public,
which is angry over the economic measures taken by the government,
might be sensitive to the idea of getting help from a country that
was considered an enemy just a decade ago.
The two heads of government are also expected to seek ways to
revitalize finding diplomatic solutions to decades-old problems in
the Aegean. Erdogan will most likely ask for the support of Athens
for solving issues related to Cyprus, and a Turkish-Greek-Italian
natural gas pipeline will also be on the agenda.