Russian national gas major Gazprom signs long-term contracts with the most important Turkish private energetic companies. Russia's aim to block Turkey's support to the EU project of gas supplies diversification.
If the public sector does not agree with you, there's always a chance with private companies. On Tuesday 11/27 Russian national gas major Gazprom signed a 30 years contract with Turkish private companies Akfel, Bosforus, Kibal and Bati Hatti to deliver 14 bcm of Russian gas per year via the Trans Balkan Pipeline.
The agreement confirms Russia's position as the first Turkey's gas supplier. Gazprom is going to deliver its gas in Turkey both via Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria by the Trans Balkan pipeline, and via Black Sea seabed, where in 2005 has been realized Blue Stream pipeline to carry 16 bcm of Russian gas directly from Russia to Turkey.
The agreement Gazprom signed with Turkish private companies also aims to influence Turkey's energetic policy.
Ankara is supporting the European Commission's gas supplies diversification project Brussels planed in order to decrease EU dependence on Gazprom, which nowadays covers the 40% of total European gas need.
In particular, Turkey is involved in the EU Southern Corridor, which Bruxelles planed to carry 16 bcm of Azeri gas directly to Europe.
Ankara politically supports two of the EU Southern Corridor pipelines: the Trans Anatolian Pipeline - TANAP - and the Nabucco. Moreover, Turkey is also interested in the Trans Adriatic Pipeline - TAP.
TANAP pipeline, whose shareholders are Turkish companies TPAO and Botas, Azeri concern SOCAR, Norwegian concern Statoil, British concern BP, and French company Total, will carry Azerbaijan's gas from the border between Georgia and Turkey to Turkish Western coast.
Nabucco, whose shareholders are Austrian company OMV, Hungarian company MOL, Romanian company Transgaz, Bulgarian company Bulgargaz, and German company RWE, will carry the Azeri gas from Turkey to Austria via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary.
TAP, whose shareholders are Norwegian concern Statoil, Swiss company EGL and German company E.On, will carry Azeri gas to Italy from the border between Turkey and Greece via Albania.
Russia is interested to maintain its energetic hegemony on Europe. For this reason Moscow is trying to influence Turkey not to support the European Commission's plans of gas supplies diversification.
Russia already obtained from Turkey the permission to build in Turkish national sea the Southstream pipeline, which is planed to block the European Commission gas supplies diversification plans, and increase EU energetic dependence on Moscow.
Southstream will carry 63 bcd of Russian gas to Austria from Russia via Black Sea seabed, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia and Italy.
The European Commission criticized Southstream pipeline because it's a Russia's political project which endangers EU countries's national security.
The Orthodox Pipeline's - as Southstream has been renamed - shareholders are Russian national gas major Gazprom, Italian concern ENI, German company Wintershall, and French company EDF.
Matteo Cazzulani
