Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.30
By Anakhanim Hidayatova- Trend:
The Southern Corridor has always been extremely important and something that worried Russia greatly and the events in Ukraine don't make Azerbaijani gas more or less important, the Director of the International Center for Defense Studies in Tallinn, Estonia, the former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza told Trend Jan.30.
"Southern Corridor is also very important, we know there will be much more than Azerbaijani gas," he said. "Hopefully there will be Iraqi gas, Turkmen gas, maybe some gas from eastern Mediterranean, some day from Iran, if relations get better. The highway is that Azerbaijan together with companies and some governments and companies is going to be big and more important, it is going to be much bigger than it is now."
"In December, President Putin stopped the project South Stream and recently he suggested a new Turkish stream and an idea to build a national gas trading hub on the Turkish-Greek border," he said. "I think that would be a great problem because that is an obvious attempt by Russia to gain a blocking position right at the end of Southern Corridor entering the EU. I think Turkey is too smart for this strategically and will never allow Russia to get that controlling position."
The diplomat said that because of what happens in Ukraine, and because the relations between EU and Russia got so bad, Putin gave up with South Stream and now he has come up with a new idea that could block (prevent) Azerbaijani gas going to Europe.
"The Turkish Stream is a one hundred percent competitor to TANAP, and president Putin wants to block TANAP, but I think he will never succeed, TANAP is going to be implemented," he said.
"Russia can offer a big discount for natural gas that may be attractive enough and make the Turkish government go ahead with Turkish Stream," Bryza said.
"Russia can simply play to Turkey's own strategic ambitions," he said. "Turkey wants to be a big gas trading and transit hub. So Turkey's perspective is the more energy comes from Azerbaijan, Israel, Iraq, or Turkmenistan, the better it is for Turkey."
"Besides, President Erdogan is angry with the EU, and Russia is using it, so Putin is trying to peel Turkey away from the EU and NATO," he said.
"Russia is not a strong country now, Russia's economy is weak and vulnerable," Bryza said. "If the crisis between Russia and the EU continues it will be much worse for Russia."
Edited by CN