There is no doubt about this. Turkey is really gaining value, allowing it to be taken into consideration in all political moves, and becoming a strategic corridor among the energy-consuming neighbors to our east thanks to the great advantage provided by its geographic status.This project is a trump card against Europe, which can be seen both by people on the street and by the European Union, which has been dragging its feet on full membership and continues to send the ball outside the court on this matter.
This was the icing on the cake for Turkey, which became a central hub between continents and cultures and joined its fate with the countries of the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and the Caspian region, many of which it shares a religious and racial lineage with.
But the side of the project that concerns Europe certainly is no less important than the side that concerns Turkey. Most importantly, this project is a step that will allow the EU, which is described as a “financial giant and strategic midget, “due to its lack of say in international relations, to regain the trust of the people. The signing of its name to the project is certainly a sign of hope for the future of the EU.
In 2005, when the tap of the natural gas line coming from Ukraine was cranked shut and people began to feel chilly, Brussels opened up its eyes. They came to the conclusion that they were dependent on Russia in this regard, a country whose political relations were not consistent, and realized the magnitude that this problem could reach in the future, deciding that the variance of energy sources should become a strategic must for the EU following successive reports on the matter by experts in Brussels.
However, it wasn't easy for a strategic midget to reach a decision on a matter inclusive of countries as different as Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and Iran. At times, there was such a bleak picture that there was discussion of this project never coming to life. I can still hear the derogatory words of an authority traveling between the capital cities of the countries involved and acting on behalf of the US, which is one of the important parties in this matter, about Europeans.
Also turning a decision made at the expert level in Brussels into a decision reached by consensus between 27 countries and a signature ceremony in Ankara seemed impossible, because, most importantly, the analysis by each European country was different and none of them had the same level of dependence on Russia. For example, two of the heavyweights in the EU, Germany and France, would not experience the same level of problems in the event of a gas cut by Russia. While some countries in Europe had almost 100 percent dependence on Russia, the situation was not as frightening in Western Europe. Thus it became increasingly difficult to reach a common decision.
In line with the final war in Iraq, Eastern Europe saw the US differently from Western Europe. For Eastern Europe, relations with NATO and the US were imperatively important in their stance against Russia. The only security valve they had in protection against Russia returning to its former bad ways was the US. But France and Germany were comfortable in this respect.
The different view that European countries had on the matter of energy resulted in each country finding its own path leading to a solution. For example, all of the energy reports prepared in Brussles pointed toward new agreements between Russia and Germany, which had the most dependence on Russia. Italy began flirting with Russia-centered projects that rivaled Nabucco. Meanwhile, European countries in the sector began heading toward wherever they could find short-term advantages when countries could not give them a unified response. It was a huge success for Europe, which could barely exert its unified presence in small crises such as the Kardak Islands, to make a decision on a giant issue such as Nabucco. They should give themselves a pat on the back for this. I hope that this will allow them to make a decision on Europe, which they always postpone.
