Turkey wants Ukraine in the "Nabucco" project?
Updated on: 12.04.2007, 12:27
Published on: 12.04.2007, 11:45
Turkey is positive towards attracting Ukraine in the Nabucco project, which will transport gas from Caspian region to Europe.
Ukraine can become the sixth member of the consortium that is to build the pipeline from Caspian sea via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary towards Austria.
Until recently, the main claimant for this place was the French company Gaz de France. But last week Turkey suspended talks with Paris, though not officially.
The Turkish Minisiter of energy, Hilmi Guler, claimed on Wednesday that France remained participant in the tender but Ankara had started negotiations with other countries as well.
Some Turkish authorities representatives relate the suspension of talks with Paris to the voted law in France according to which the denial of Armenian genocide during World War I is punishable.
Today, Turkey is more positive towards German and Ukrainian companies, which want to join the Nabucco project instead of the French, informed Reuters.
Project Nabucco should decrease Europe's dependence on Russian gas. The pipeline construction is planned to start in 2008 and the beginning of operation in 2011.
