NABUCCO prospects vague

German magazine Telepolis writes that Turkey is developing a new foreign policy doctrine. The magazine says that achieving European energy security is impossible without Turkey, although so far Russia is the major source of Europe's energy. Some countries, for instance Germany, are almost completely dependent on receiving natural gas from Russia, but for this very reason Germany and many other European countries should think about alternative sources of supply.

The EU is pinning its hopes on the NABUCCO gas pipeline project which will provide gas through Turkey and the Balkans, but this has met fierce and so far successful resistance from Russia. Moscow is continually frustrating almost all attempts to create alternative energy supplies. So far only the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is functioning, supplying Europe with oil from Azerbaijan.

The NABUCCO project is proceeding very slowly, if at all, as another huge player who wants to consume Caspian basin natural gas has appeared - China. So there is only one way, thinks Telepolis: if NABUCCO is built it should be filled with Iranian gas. If this happens Turkey will of course become an even more stronger supply partner and transit country.