Turkey PM Says Nabucco Agreements To Be Signed Soon; Scolds EU

Turkey PM Says Nabucco Agreements To Be Signed Soon; Scolds EU
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Τετ, 29 Σεπτεμβρίου 2010 - 18:46
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that agreements related to the Nabucco pipeline project are planned to be signed in October, but urged European policymakers to catch up with regional developments and be sensitive to Ankara's energy interests in the region.
Turkey 's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that agreements related to the Nabucco pipeline project are planned to be signed in October, but urged European policymakers to catch up with regional developments and be sensitive to Ankara 's energy interests in the region.

It wasn't immediately clear which agreements the prime minister was referring to, however, the pipeline project, which is slated to transport gas from the Caspian and Middle Eastern regions to central Europe through Turkey, has gained a degree of momentum in recent weeks following the Sept. 2 announcement that top international lenders would sign an agreement to take a senior financing role in the project.

"
Europe will win as much as Turkey if projects here are completed," Erdogan said in a speech to the Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum in Istanbul . "But Europe unfortunately is lagging behind in this regard," he added.

The Nabucco pipeline is expected to deliver around 31 billion cubic meters of gas annually from the Caspian region and
Iraq to central Europe through Turkey , Bulgaria , Romania and Hungary , bypassing Russia .

The Nabucco pipeline has been backed by the European Union as it is considered crucial to diversify the block's heavy dependence on Russian gas.
Russia accounts for around 25% of the EU's annual gas supplies.

Russia , the world's biggest energy supplier, wants to build its own routes to bypass transit country Ukraine after rows in recent years over prices. Its South Stream project is scheduled to start by the end of 2015.

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