Turkey warns of revising NABUCCO support
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said
his country could come out against the NABUCCO pipeline, planned to
pump gas from the resource-rich Caspian and Central Asia regions to
Europe while bypassing Russia.
He warned that if talks on Turkey`s admission to the European Union did not resume, Ankara might reconsider its backing of the West-backed project.
Erdogan paid his first visit to Brussels in four years on Tuesday and is currently in talks on his country`s future accession to the 27-member bloc.
The NABUCCO project, worth 8 billion euros, aims to deliver 30 billion cubic meters of gas to European markets through a 3,300-kilometer pipeline through Azerbaijan and Turkey to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria.
Talks on Turkey`s EU admission were launched in 2005 but were suspended later over tension caused by the Cyprus issue.
Meanwhile, Moldova`s Deputy Minister of Economy Tydor Kopach said his country was keen on joining the NABUCCO project. He told Russia`s Nezavisimaya Gazeta that the latest dispute between Russia and Ukraine over gas supplies has necessitated reconsidering options for the delivery of energy resources to Moldova. Chisinau is currently fully dependent on Russia for its energy and is therefore trying to diversify its supply routes.
Vladimir Zhirinovskiy, Russian Vice-Speaker of the State Duma (lower house of parliament), has claimed that the NABUCCO pipeline would never become operational.
"Russia will not allow for this project to be launched, and it could be realized only if the pipeline passes through Russian territory, Zhirinovskiy said.
The vice-speaker added that the conduit had to be laid under two basins - the Baltic and Black Seas.
He warned that if talks on Turkey`s admission to the European Union did not resume, Ankara might reconsider its backing of the West-backed project.
Erdogan paid his first visit to Brussels in four years on Tuesday and is currently in talks on his country`s future accession to the 27-member bloc.
The NABUCCO project, worth 8 billion euros, aims to deliver 30 billion cubic meters of gas to European markets through a 3,300-kilometer pipeline through Azerbaijan and Turkey to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria.
Talks on Turkey`s EU admission were launched in 2005 but were suspended later over tension caused by the Cyprus issue.
Meanwhile, Moldova`s Deputy Minister of Economy Tydor Kopach said his country was keen on joining the NABUCCO project. He told Russia`s Nezavisimaya Gazeta that the latest dispute between Russia and Ukraine over gas supplies has necessitated reconsidering options for the delivery of energy resources to Moldova. Chisinau is currently fully dependent on Russia for its energy and is therefore trying to diversify its supply routes.
Vladimir Zhirinovskiy, Russian Vice-Speaker of the State Duma (lower house of parliament), has claimed that the NABUCCO pipeline would never become operational.
"Russia will not allow for this project to be launched, and it could be realized only if the pipeline passes through Russian territory, Zhirinovskiy said.
The vice-speaker added that the conduit had to be laid under two basins - the Baltic and Black Seas.
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