ISTANBUL (Hurriyet)–Ankara is eager to enhance its cooperation with Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday, a day after reports indicated that Russia has invited Turkey to participate in its South Stream gas pipeline project.
Davutoglu told reporters after his meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Ankara would continue discussing every issue, including energy projects, with Moscow within the framework of the idea of cooperation, when asked about Russian offer to Turkey to participate in South Stream gas pipeline project.
Lavrov said that “if Turkey wants, and an economic agreement is reached, Russia would accept their participation in the project in every facet,” CNN reported.
He told reporters before the meeting that the Turkish and Russian parties would exchange views on new goals and the dialogue within the scope of the political declaration which was signed during President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Russia on Feb. 13, 2009.
On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, Russia’s top energy official, told Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz during their meeting that Turkey is welcome to participate in the South Stream project, which aims to transport Russian gas under the Black Sea through Eastern Europe to Austria and Italy.
Sechin did not give details of what specific role Turkey could play in the planned South Stream pipeline, which in its current form does not cross Turkish territory.
Sechin did not mince words, however, about the Russian offer’s goal of damaging Nabucco’s chances of success.
Turkey is a crucial partner in the Nabucco project, which Europe is counting on to ease its energy dependence on Russia.
Asked about the benefits of Russia’s offer over Nabucco, Sechin said: “The clear economic accounting, the coordination of all the factors, and the efficiency should clearly show which project is the best,” Itar-Tass news agency reported.
On Monday, Russia dealt a heavy blow to the Nabucco project by securing supplies of Azeri gas, which has been identified as the main potential source for the EU-backed pipeline.
When turkish and russian strategies coincide, Armenia always finds itself on the losing side.
I guess that for citizens of RA it is neccessity to find out how close ties turks have with Russia … It is the most powerful tool to make them understaand that Russia does not respect by any means thei “strategic ally” – Republic of Armenia . I hope that leaders of RA will make a little bit more decesive moves from to indicate their disapproval of Russian-Turkish honey moon … Once agaain after 1918 … And , after all , I don’t think that russian and turkish strategies ever been any different … They were and are nominally from different sides of barrikades , but this does not mean that they view Armenian Question from different angles …
It’s been the case for the last 300 years + … After so many years and centuries of telling the lies to each other , they started to believe that Armenia can survive without it’s own lands , routes and people … These dimensions are given to us as a done deal … So we have to “understand” their feelings , desires , post-imperial syndroms etc. etc. Well , we have a chance to make sure that “they” stay on Earth instead of flying in clouds and dreaming of their “common interests” … on armenian soil …