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Turkey, Syria shake hands on major electricity and gas sale deals
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız said on Tuesday that when the 1,200-kilometer-long Arab gas pipeline and other pipelines are completed in the region, Turkey will sell its extra natural gas to neighboring countries.
Speaking to reporters in Ankara after his meeting with Syrian Oil and Mineral Resources Minister Sufian al-Alou in Ankara, Yıldız noted the increased levels of cooperation between the two countries, especially drawing attention to improved mutual relations on energy issues.
Yıldız said that 1 billion cubic meters of gas will be transferred to Syria in four to five years. Syria is able to meet most of its gas demand using its own resources but must import the remainder.
Another major issue that was addressed during yesterday's talks included the sale of water to Syria, the minister stated. Yıldız recalled that Turkey has been providing water to Iraq via Syria under an agreement that was signed 20 years ago, adding that Turkey had never failed to fulfill its responsibilities on the issue.
The natural gas sale to Syria will also be beneficial to Turkey as it trims down its liabilities stemming from buy-or-pay agreements with its major gas providers Russia and Iran. Turkey has to pay these countries annually for a pre-specified amount of gas even if it does not need the gas.
Al-Alou also delivered a speech to assist in disclosing the details of the agreements between Turkey and Syria. He said his country's annual consumption of natural gas is 7 billion cubic meters and that it is already capable of meeting 6 billion cubic meters from its own resources. The remaining 1 billion cubic meters is largely satisfied by Egypt, Al-Alou said. "Next year, we are projecting to increase natural gas production by 2 billion cubic meters but our needs will also rise. We will keep importing to meet our own needs despite this increase in production. According to our estimates, a balance between our demand and own supply will be reached in about six years. We hope the agreements on gas and electricity sales will give a momentum to the improvement of mutual relations with Turkey," he said.
Answering questions from reporters, the Turkish minister touched upon the possibility of Russia taking part in the Nabucco project, which aims to transport Caspian Sea and Middle Eastern natural gas resources to European markets while saving Europe from fully depending on the Russian monopoly. "We should not be very surprised to see Russia join Nabucco as one of the gas suppliers," Yıldız said.
Al-Alou also made a few important remarks on Nabucco. Acknowledging that Syria is a natural gas supplier as well as a transit country in natural gas transportation, the guest minister did not hide his intention of registering Syria as a Nabucco supplier. He said Syria has no problem with regard to natural gas reserves and may rise as one of the major natural gas providers of Nabucco.
Al-Alou also said the construction of the Arab gas pipeline will probably be completed by 2010, rendering it possible to transfer Egyptian natural gas to pipelines in Turkey, too.
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