TURKEY-RUSSIA TALKS TO FOCUS ON ENERGY, CAUCASUS
By Tulay Karadeniz

Reuters
May 11 2010

Russian president in first official Turkey visit

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* Energy, South Caucasus stability on top of agenda

ANKARA, May 11 (Reuters) – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived
in Turkey on Tuesday to broach relations in the volatile South Caucasus
region and seal several energy deals.

On his first official visit to Turkey, Medvedev was due to attend
a dinner with President Abdullah Gul after arriving from Syria,
and meet Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday.

Seeking to balance off its West-facing foreign policy, Turkey has
strengthened relations with Russia and other former Soviet republics
as well as fellow Muslim nations in the Middle East over past years.

Speaking ahead of Medvedev’s arrival, Russian officials have said state
energy companies Gazprom (GAZP.MM) and Rosneft (ROSN.MM) were expected
to sign contracts during the visit. No further details were available.

Russia already provides 60 percent of Turkey’s gas needs which has
raised concerns of Turkey becoming over-dependent on Russian energy.

Officials said they also hoped to agree on a deal for a Russian firm
to build Turkey’s first nuclear power plant. Deals on shipping oil
products from the Black Sea and ferry transport were also expected
among some 25 agreements due to be signed.

Major progress on proposed cross-border pipeline projects, including
the Moscow-backed Southstream gas pipeline, were less likely because
of their complexities, Turkish officials said.

Bringing greater stability to the South Caucasus will be also on
the agenda. The mountainous region, that fell firmly under Moscow’s
influence following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the
First World War, is riddled with old enmities.

"Russia and Turkey are both very important countries of the region. Of
course we have our differences," a Turkish official said, confirming
the topic would come up.

Several conflicts erupted in the region following the collapse of
the Soviet Union, including the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between
Christian Armenia and Muslim Azerbaijan.

Ethnic Christian Armenians, backed by Armenian forces, in
Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azeri rule and some 30,000 people
were killed before a ceasefire was agreed in 1994.

Turkey has sealed its border with Armenia in support of fellow Muslim
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has been angered by Turkey now seeking to
normalise relations with Armenia, and there have been fears that the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict could flare again.

Armenia accuses Ottoman Turks of killing millions of Armenians in 1915,
but late last year Armenia and Turkey agreed a series of protocols
to mend ties.

Last month, Armenia suspended ratification of the protocols that
would have resulted in an opening of its western border with Turkey,
because Erdogan introduced a condition calling on Armenia to make
moves to defuse the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

Turkey hopes to enlist Russia’s help to break the deadlock.

"We are traditionally interested in development of mutually beneficial
cooperation both with Armenia and Turkey," a Russian official said.

Some Turkish analysts suspect Russia of playing a spoiling game in the
South Caucasus to stop Armenia and Azerbaijan establishing economic
links that could loosen ties to Moscow.

Progress on visa free travel was also expected during the visit. Last
year, Russians were the second largest number of foreign tourists
to Turkey.