Turkey gets closer to Europe

The leaders of Turkey and four EU countries signed a landmark agreement on Monday 13th July aimed at reducing Europe's reliance on Russian energy

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan and his counterparts from Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania signed the intergovernmental deal to allow the EU- and U.S.-backed Nabucco pipeline to cross their territory, as uncertainty about potential gas suppliers continues.

Erdoğan hailed the deal as a "historic moment," but added, "The job is not done with the signing – on the contrary it just begins" at the ceremony in Ankara.

In a sign of the importance attached to the project, European Commission Chief Jose Manuel Barroso, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of potential supplier Iraq, and U.S. special envoy for Eurasian energy Richard Morningstar also attended the gathering.

A quarter of all the natural gas used in Europe currently comes from Russia, with several southern European countries depending almost exclusively on Russian supplies.

Turkey's EU bid to be boosted

Erdoğan said the pipeline "will elevate Turkey to a significant position" in the European energy security and help boost his country’s struggling EU membership bid.

"Even if you make an assessment only from the perspective of energy, it is clear that Turkey should be a member of European Union,” the candidate country’s prime minister also said.

Barroso praised Turkey’s role, saying the project "could open the door to a new era in relations between Turkey and the EU, and beyond."

"What we are witnessing today is a powerful illustration of the strategic bonds between Turkey and the EU," he said.

Source: Turkish Daily News

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