This entry is part 2 of 1 in the series Turkish Foreign Affairs, 2015-16The new Turkish and Israeli ambassadors arrived in each other’s capitals within the last days to jumpstart Turkey-Israeli relations. This is a very good thing for both … Continue reading →
On October 10, in the margins of the 23rd World Energy Congress being held in Ankara, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a Turkish Stream agreement confirming common intentions to proceed with construction of … Continue reading →
The reopening of Turkey’s relations with Israel and Russia also opens the competition between Israeli natural gas and Russian natural gas for Turkey’s energy security. All diplomats and heads of state say that they welcome the improvement of relations among … Continue reading →
Diplomatic attention has intensified on the project of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline (TCGP) while both obstacles to and incentives for its realization increase. Turkmenistan’s commitment to the project may be inferred from the finally completed construction of its East-West Pipeline … Continue reading →
With the accord having been reached over Iran’s nuclear development program, there is now more active interest in the possibility of Azerbaijan Iran gas cooperation. Both Iranian and Azerbaijani reports suggest that the two countries are discussing this. I have … Continue reading →
Regardless of Turkish elections results, energy minister Taner Yıldız was going to be leaving his post anyway, because of the term limits on AK Party members that its de facto (because in Turkey the president should in principle be above … Continue reading →
It is in serious trouble, but is the Russian economy unsustainable? Western sanctions have restricted Russian companies’ access to international financial markets, but it is the state’s policies and priorities that are tanking its economic performance. Recent statistical releases show … Continue reading →
The Turkish Stream pipeline is increasingly problematic for Russia. Even though it has recently agreed with Turkey on the route of the pipeline, it does not follow that deliveries will begin in December 2016 as stated by a Gazprom representative. … Continue reading →
Interview on John Batchelor Show, WABC-AM 770 (New York City), 22 January 2015. … Continue reading →
Russia continues to play hardball with natural gas for the European Union, trying to get Brussels to sacrifice Ukraine in return for the promise of better relations with Moscow. This geo-economic and power-political jousting is conditioned by the fact that EU sanctions against Russia will begin to expire in three phases between March and July unless there is an EU consensus to keep them in place.
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