EU desperate to please Turkey
The Russia-Ukraine gas standoff could not have come at a more convenient time for Turkey that is using the argument of potential gas shortages to Europe to demand that the energy chapter in membership negotiations be reopened and at the same time strong-arm its way out of any obligation to open up ports and trade to Cyprus-flag ships.
In other words, Turkey is being let off the hook, again, only this time with the blessing of the European Commission president himself.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to blatantly threaten Brussels, this time saying that Turkey will withdraw from the Nabucco natural gas pipeline project if the country's talks of EU accession "remain blocked".
And no one seems disturbed by Ankara’s continued arrogance. Even Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso seems incapable to tell Turkey to open up its ports to ships from Cyprus, a demand he put to them gently more than a year ago but is willing to do nothing about.
The alternative Nabucco pipeline plans to transport Azerbaijan’s natural gas over Georgia and Turkey to Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary as a diversion from the current methods of importing natural gas solely from Russia. The project is backed by some of the EU member states and the United States, and co-funded by the European Commission as a way to cut dependence from Russian energy.
At the height of the oil crisis, major multinationals, such as Britain’s BP, were delighted that a turn to natural gas would help them reduce their mounting losses from investments in Azeri-owned Caspian gas fields. But as the price of crude subsequently stabilized at less than a quarter from where it peaked last summer, any gas supplies from the still-unprofitable Baku sources will have to compete in real market value with natural gas from Russia, Qatar, Egypt and North Africa, where some EU members such as Italy, France and Spain have a vested interest.
If the EU wants to punish Russia for its actions in the Caucuses and Moscow’s ambitions to corner the gas market, it does not need to sit in Turkey’s lap to secure gas supplies. It can do so from so many other cheaper and safer sources without the fear of being hostage to Azeri and Turkish antics in the future, that will include further blackmails.
Unless, of course, Barroso wants to do Turkey a favour…
