TURKISH GOVT DENIES SUSPENDING TALKS WITH GDF OVER NABUCCO PIPELINE
ABCmoney.co.uk, UK
April 11 2007
ANKARA (Thomson Financial) – Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler had
denied that the government has suspended talks with Gaz de France
(GDF) about its involvement in the Nabucco pipeline.
Last week, Turkish news agency Anatolia reported that the talks had
been suspended because of a French draft law that makes it a gaolable
offence to deny that Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians
during World War I.
‘Nabucco is a very important project for us and the process is
proceeding normally. Gaz de France has not been suspended from the
project,’ Guler told reporters.
Even so, he said Turkey would make a decision ‘in line with its
national interests’ and that economic, strategic and political matters
would be taken into consideration — including the French position
on the alleged genocide.
Armenians claim up to 1.5 mln people perished in systematic
deportations and killings between 1915 and 1917 under the Ottoman
Empire, modern Turkey’s predecessor.
Turkey categorically denies claims of genocide and says thousands of
Turks and Armenians were killed in civil strife when Armenians took
up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with Russian
troops invading the crumbling Ottoman empire.
The Nabucco project involves the construction of a 3,300 kilometre
pipeline by 2012 to supply western Europe with gas from the Caspian
Sea, bypassing Russia.
The partners in the scheme are Turkish state oil and gas company Botas,
Austria’s OMV, Hungary’s MOL, Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz and Romania’s
Transgaz. They are seeking a sixth partner for the project.