The French company was previously vetoed by Ankara from participating in the international consortium building the Nabucco pipeline that will connect Caspian natural gas resources to the European market. Relations between Turkey and France worsened following the French parliament’s acceptance of allegations of genocide against Anatolian Armenians during the Ottoman era. President Nicolas Sarkozy’s strong opposition to Turkey joining the European Union has added fuel to the fire. This weekend’s visit is interpreted by observers as a step to improve relations by the French side.
GDF is particularly interested in natural gas distribution tenders for İstanbul and Ankara along with liquefied natural gas (LNG) distribution in other provinces.
The government will request French support for Turkey’s efforts to enter an EU energy community, studies for which started last year, in return for cooperation in energy projects in Turkey, Today’s Zaman learned from officials at the Ministry of Energy. The government will also seek French support in an anticipated energy chapter with the EU.
Austria’s OMV, Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz, Turkey’s Botaş, Germany’s RWE, Hungary’s MOL and Romania’s Transgaz are partners in the EU-backed project, which would reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian gas.
Gas transmission to EU countries via the Nabucco pipeline still remains uncertain since questions such as who will lead the talks and how the price will be determined still wait for answers. OMV said last month that the project would not happen if an open season bidding process for capacity this year shows that demand is too low. In addition to this, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has recently criticized the project for being “full of uncertainties.”
