Israel and Turkey see a momentum behind Europe’s bid to break free from Russian gas and talk behind the scenes about building a pipeline connecting Israeli fields to TANAR. Following the reports in Turkey, Reuters returned yesterday with extensive coverage from Ankara and Jerusalem for the backstage consultations between the two countries.
According to the agency’s correspondents, the construction of the Turkey-Israel pipeline is an issue that concerns both sides behind the scenes, who believe that the project could be one of Europe’s alternatives to Russia’s energy supply. However, there is an acknowledgment in both capitals that complex maneuvers will have to be made to reach any agreement. The idea of building a pipeline to transport Israeli gas to Turkey and from there to Europe goes back to the time of the first drilling in Leviathan. However, strained relations between the two countries have put the issue on hold, with Israel pushing for other ideas such as the Eastern Mediterranean pipeline that found allies in Cyprus and Greece, two countries that also did not want to see Turkey gain energy points. .
According to a report by the Cypriot “Phileleftheros”, the warming of Turkey-Israel relations and the visit of Isaac Herzog to Ankara brought the issue back to the forefront. According to a Turkish official quoted by Reuters, talks between the two countries continued after Herzog’s visit to Turkey. The same official does not rule out making “specific decisions” in the coming months for the proposed route of the pipeline but also for entities that will participate in the project. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a few days ago that the pipeline “is one of the most important projects we can do in bilateral relations” and appeared ready to send his ministers to Israel for further talks.
The same is true of the Israeli-Turkish pipeline, as is the case with EastMed, where, according to officials in the energy industry, factors such as production constraints and geopolitical developments “could leave the project dead at sea”.
Israeli Energy Minister Karin Elharar said there were many issues not yet discussed, including finance. “An economically viable solution must be found, which is not self-evident,” she said. The pipeline is estimated to extend 500-550km and cost up to $ 1.5 billion to build, according to Israeli officials, making it the most manageable EastMed pipeline at an estimated cost of € 6 billion.
Leviathan currently supplies gas to Israel, Jordan and Egypt. The American Chevron and the Israeli NewMed Energy and Ratio Oil aim to increase production from 12 to 21 billion cubic meters per year. Europe imported 155 billion cubic meters of Russian gas last year, which accounts for about 40 percent of its needs. According to a NewMed official, the extra gas can be liquefied and shipped either to the Far East or to Europe, noting that Turkey could be another destination. The other companies did not comment when asked by Reuters.
Tsavousoglou’s trip on Sunday
According to the Turkish newspaper Turkiye (source: Cypriot Information Office), Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu will visit Israel next Sunday, April 3, where he will meet with Yair Lapid. The daily says that during the visit, where the evaluation of the process of appointing ambassadors between the two countries is expected to be evaluated, cooperation opportunities in the Eastern Mediterranean, bilateral trade and regional issues will be discussed. At the meeting, during which the Palestinian issue will also be on the agenda, Tsavousoglu will convey Turkey’s “sensitivities” on the issue.
After Tsavousoglu’s visit, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Fatih Donmez, will also visit Israel. After his visit to Israel, Tsavousoglu will travel to Palestine to meet with his counterpart Riyad Malki. “Tsavousoglu will explain to his interlocutor that the normalization of Turkey’s relations with Israel will not be to the detriment of Palestine,” the daily writes.
Source: philenews.com
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