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Category: Greece

  • Greece Asks Turkey to Clarify Yilmaz’s Comments on Forest Fires

    Greece Asks Turkey to Clarify Yilmaz’s Comments on Forest Fires

    By Natalie Weeks

    Dec. 27 (Bloomberg) — Greece asked Turkey to clarify press reports that former Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said some Greek forest fires were deliberately set by Turkey’s secret service.

    “As long as this information remains unclarified, it poisons public opinion and undermines efforts to build relations of trust,” Greece’s Foreign Ministry said in e-mailed statement today.

    A Greek Supreme Court prosecutor requested that cases on forest fires from 1995 to 1997 be reopened, Athens-based news site 24h.gr reported today, without citing anyone. That followed a Turkish newspaper report, repeated in the Greek press yesterday, that quoted Yilmaz as saying Turkey’s secret service had sparked the blazes, especially on eastern Aegean islands, 24h.gr said. Calls to the Supreme Court by Bloomberg outside regular operating hours weren’t answered.

    “The issue is completely distorted,” Yilmaz told Turkey’s state-run Anatolia news agency today. “I was referring to forest fires in Turkey. There was some speculation and information that large forest fires in 1990s were related to Greek secret services, and I said unless they are proven to be facts, publishing that information would be very wrong in terms of our relations with Greece.”

    Greece experiences frequent forest fires during the summer months. Some are deliberately lit to clear land for building. Fires killed 65 people in 2007.

    “Regardless of Mr. Yilmaz’s attempts to reformulate,” the Foreign Ministry said, “we asked that these statements and other public references that have seen the light of day in the past be investigated and that Greece be informed of all relevant information.”

    –With assistance from Ercan Ersoy in Istanbul. Editors: Jim Silver, Leslie Hoffecker

    To contact the reporter on this story: Natalie Weeks in Athens at nweeks2@bloomberg.net

    To contact the editor responsible for this story: Angela Cullen at acullen8@bloomberg.net

    via Greece Asks Turkey to Clarify Yilmaz’s Comments on Forest Fires – Businessweek.

  • Analysis: Turkey helps pull the rug from under Nabucco

    Analysis: Turkey helps pull the rug from under Nabucco

    By Ferruh Demirmen, Ph.D.
    Houston, Texas

    Judging from the press reports, one would not know it, but Turkey, the presumed supporter of the Nabucco gas project, recently helped kill the project.

    It was not to be so. After all, the Nabucco project was designed not only to supply natural gas to the EU from the Caspian region and the Middle East, but also help Turkey meet its domestic needs. The intergovernmental agreement signed in Ankara amid media publicity in July 2009, followed by parliamentary seal of approval in March 2010, gave all the indications that Turkey would stand by the project.

    Turkey’s BOTAS was one of the 6 partners that developed the project. The Vienna-based NIC (Nabucco International Company) represented the consortium formed by the partners. The 3,900 km-long pipeline’s planned destination was Baumgarten in Austria.

    Not that the project was ideal for Turkey (). But compared to its rivals ITGI (Italy-Greece Interconnector) and TAP (Trans-Adriatic Pipeline), not to mention a host of “exotic” Black Sea options flagged by Azerbaijan, it was the most mature and most comprehensive gas pipeline project to connect Turkey and the EU to the supply sources to the east. Strategically it deserved Turkey’s support. It was the only project among its rivals that aimed to transport Azeri as well as non-Azeri gas. Turkmen gas was a high-priority objective.

    Surely, with its ambitious design capacity of 31 billion m3 (bcm)/year, Nabucco was under stress. What was holding the project from implementation was the lack of feed (throughput) gas. The feed gas problem caused delays in the project, and the capital costs soared (up to EUR 14-15 billion by most recent estimates). The Azeri Shah Deniz-II gas was identified as the initial start-up gas as from 2017-2018.

    But Azerbaijan, that owned the gas, and the Shah Deniz consortium that would share and produce it, were non-committal about supplying gas. That meant major headache for Nabucco. Turkmen gas input required the cooperation of Azerbaijan, and would be added to the gas stream at a later date.

    In the meantime, the rival projects ITGI and TAP emerged. Like Nabucco, these also counted on Shah Deniz-II gas for throughput. A winner-take-all pipeline contest was in the works.

    Still, Nabucco had a good fighting chance. On October 1, 2011, NIC submitted its proposal to the Shah Deniz consortium tabling transport terms. The rival projects ITGI and TAP did the same. A high-stakes waiting game would then start, during which the Shah Deniz consortium would pick the winner.

    The spoiler project

    All that changed when BP (British Petroleum), at the last minute before the October 1 deadline, came up with a new, “in-house” project: SEEP (South-East Europe Pipeline). It was a shrewd move, and immediately caught the attention of the Shah Deniz consortium – where BP is the operator and a major (25.5%) stake holder. The Azeri partner SOCAR, in particular, quickly warmed up to BP’s proposal.

    Instead of building a new pipeline across the Turkish territory, SEEP envisioned the use of BOTAS’ existing network (with upgrades) in Turkey and construction of new pipelines and their integration with existing interconnectors past Turkey. Azeri gas would be the feed gas. The destination would still be Austria, but the cost would be much less than that of Nabucco.

    Nabucco had come under threat.

    Behind the scenes

    Events behind the scenes further undermined Nabucco. On October 25 Ankara and Baku signed an intergovernmental agreement in Izmir in western Turkey. Details released to the press were sketchy, but one of the accords reached was to use initially BOTAS’ existing network in Turkey, and later build a new pipeline when needed, to ship Shah Deniz II gas to Turkey and the EU. Starting in 2017 or 2018, of the total 16 bcm gas to be produced annually from the Shah Deniz-II phase, Turkey would receive 6 bcm, and the rest 10 bcm would be shipped to the EU.

    Azerbaijan would be the direct seller of gas to the EU, with Turkey being a mere bridge or transit route.

    No mention was made of Nabucco, ITGI, TAP, or SEEP in the press release, but the footprints of SEEP were unmistakable.

    Demise of Nabucco

    Still worse news followed. On November 17, during the Third Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum held in Istanbul, SOCAR chief Rovnag Abdullayev announced that a new gas pipeline, which he named “Trans-Anatolia,” would be built in Turkey from east to west under the leadership of SOCAR. The new pipeline would deliver Shah Deniz II gas to Turkey and Europe.

    Azerbaijan and Turkey had already started working on the pipeline project, he said, and others could possibly join later. The planned capacity was at least 16 bcm/year –large enough to absorb all future Azeri exports after depletion of Shah Deniz II.

    While not stated so, the announcement made Nabucco effectively redundant. The announcement was an offtake from the Izmir agreement, and signaled a surprising, 180-degree turn on the part of Turkey on Nabucco.

    Turkey’s energy minister Yildiz Taner tried to put the best face in the press by claiming that Trans-Anatolian would “supplement” Nabucco, while the NIC chief Reinhard Mitschek expressed his “confidence” in Nabucco.

    More recently SOCAR’s Abdullayev maintained that Nabucco was still “in the race,” and NIC started the pre-qualification process for procurement contractors.

    For all these business-as-usual pronouncements, however, there was little doubt that Nabucco had received a fatal blow. If Trans-Anatolia, dedicated to Shah Deniz II gas, is built, Nabucco will lose its start-up gas, and with it the justification for a new infrastructure across Turkey.

    Without synergy from the Azeri gas, a full-fledged Nabucco project dedicated solely to Turkmen gas will also have a virtually zero chance of implementation.

    Nabucco, in its present form, was dead. (See also . A much-modified, “truncated” version of Nabucco, starting at the Turkey-Bulgaria border, may well emerge, however.

    Conclusion

    With Nabucco frozen in its tracks, the geopolitics of energy in Turkey and its neighborhood has changed dramatically ). What is surprising is that Turkey assisted in undermining a project that it had long supported. It was a project that encompassed both Azeri and Turkmen gas. To reduce its dependence on Russia for its gas exports, Turkmenistan has been eager to ship its gas to the West.

    Azerbaijan, apparently viewing Turkmen gas exports to the West a threat to its own gas exports, has been reluctant to cooperate with Ashgabat on this issue.

    Turkey acceded to the aspirations of the Azeri brethren, while ignoring those of the Turkmen brethren. Over the past year, as the EU delegates approached repeatedly Ashgabat for Turkmen gas (vis-à-vis a TCGP or Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline), Turkey chose to stay on the sidelines. This was a strategic mistake.

    Both Baku and Ashgabat could benefit from a synergy between the Azeri and Turkmen gaz exports, and Turkey could use gas from both sources to enhance its energy security. Being pro-active on TGCP and nudging Azerbaijan in that direction would have been a wise move for Turkey. On balance, there is little doubt that on the gas issue Azerbaijan has played its cards well – perhaps too well!

    ferruh@demirmen.com

  • Turkey welcomes UN court ruling on Macedonia-Greece row

    Turkey welcomes UN court ruling on Macedonia-Greece row

    Turkey welcomes UN court ruling on Macedonia-Greece row

    06 December 2011 | 16:06 | FOCUS News Agency

    Home / Southeast Europe and Balkans

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    Ankara. Turkey welcomed on Tuesday a ruling by the UN’s top court that Greece was wrong to block Macedonia’s entry to NATO because of name dispute, AFP reported.

    The International Court of Justice ruled Monday that NATO member Greece had breached a 1995 interim accord by blocking Macedonia’s entry into the alliance in 2008 over a dispute over the former Yugoslav republic’s name.

    “We welcome the decision and hope it will accelerate Macedonia’s integration with Europe and Euro-Atlantic organisations and provide it with support on the legal ground,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

    The ministry said Turkey, also a NATO member, would continue to support Macedonia for the process of its integration with Europe and transatlantic organisations to be concluded “without delay”.

    Greece alleges that use of the name Macedonia suggests a territorial claim to the northern Greek province of the same name while Skopje maintains that changing the name would be a denial of its own national identity and language.

    via Turkey welcomes UN court ruling on Macedonia-Greece row – FOCUS Information Agency.

  • Turks Enjoy A Little Schadenfreude At EU’s Expense

    Turks Enjoy A Little Schadenfreude At EU’s Expense

    Turks Enjoy A Little Schadenfreude At EU’s Expense

    by Peter Kenyon

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    Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

    A woman walks up the stairs of Galata Bridge in Istanbul. With the financial crisis in the eurozone, Turks are rethinking their years-long bid to be a part of the European Union.

    As he prepares for the midday rush, Mustafa Baljan puts the finishing touches on the kebabs, salads and stews that make up many a working Turk’s lunch. As the steam carries the scent of lamb and garlic into the street, the 37-year-old restaurant owner considers a popular question: With European economies on the ropes, should Turkey still be seeking to join the European Union?

    “Are you kidding? Of course I don’t want to join,” Baljan says. “Countries are going bankrupt. Why would we want to join a union like that?”

    After years of seeing their bid to join the EU stalled, Turks are trying not to show too much pleasure these days at the doom-laden economic news emanating from Europe. The Turkish economy is healthy enough that some Turks joke that perhaps the EU should join Turkey instead. However, economists are warning that Europe’s debt crisis could easily spill in Turkey’s direction.

    A Lack Of Sympathy For Greece

    Having been snubbed from Brussels to Barcelona, Turks may well be looking at their own GDP perking right along and smiling behind their mustaches at the economic ash clouds hovering over various corners of Europe.

    Take Greece, for instance. You might say that Turkey and Greece have a robustly competitive relationship. You might also say the Hatfields had a few reservations about the McCoys. As a retired U.S. diplomat once observed, Greece and Turkey are the only NATO allies whose national days celebrate victory over each other.

    For many Turks, Greece’s entry into the eurozone in 2000, while Turkey’s own EU bid languished, was a slap that carried an especially bitter sting.

    So while Greeks today writhe under the weight of painful austerity measures and some European analysts snarl that maybe Greece never really belonged in the club anyway, the immediate reaction of Turks is not one of neighborly sympathy.

    “I think Greece deserves that!” marketing specialist Harika Eren says. “Yes, I’m sorry, I’m not racist, but Greece deserves that!”

    Not Immune

    Analysts say Turks would do well to stifle the schadenfreude, however, because the EU remains Turkey’s largest and most important trading partner. That’s why economist Daron Acemoglu at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says the eurozone debt crisis is a “ticking time bomb” for Turkey.

    “The situation for Turkey is critical at some level, because Turkey is in the midst of a very large current account deficit,” he says. “It’s already brought its interest rates down, so it doesn’t have much room [to] maneuver if things start going bad.”

    At some level, many Turks do realize that in today’s world, economic pain can spread just as fast as gain. For the moment, though, they don’t mind taking a page from the British and thinking, “Well, glad we didn’t join that club!”

    via Turks Enjoy A Little Schadenfreude At EU’s Expense : NPR.

  • Property returns. What now?

    Property returns. What now?

    By Costas Iordanidis

    In yet another striking gesture, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that the state will return properties confiscated from religious minorities since 1936.

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    The decision, announced in front of representatives of Istanbul’s Christian and Jewish communities, has been received with a mix of satisfaction and skepticism.

    A tactical characteristic that distinguishes Erdogan from his predecessors is the treatment of non-Muslim communities in Turkey. Visits by Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios to Christian sacred sites in the Black Sea have boosted the image of Turkey as a state that respects and encourages religious and ethnic diversity — very much in line with European Union demands. His latest announcement regarding the seized assets, pretty much serves the same objective.

    Regardless of the motives behind Erdogan’s revisionist policy (whether that is substantial or not) toward Turkey’s religious minorities, Athens officials must keep in mind that Ankara may at some point raise the issue of reciprocity; and that will be hard to duck by invoking “legal” arguments and interpretations of past deals between the two countries.

    Erdogan has adopted an “aggressive” policy toward Greece — but not in the classic confrontational sense. He is “aggressive” in the sense that he likes to undertake unilateral initiatives that aim to set a precedent. In contrast, Greece has traditionally kept a defensive stance, putting forward arguments based on international law and other agreements mostly centered around the Treaty of Lausanne.

    This practice, which has for decades been adopted by successive Greek governments, is considered safe but its main weakness is that any talks held in this context will most probably lead to broader settlements. Greece and Turkey have for years held talks on the delineation of the continental shelf — which is, in theory, a legal issue — but the two sides are effectively discussing the sum of Aegean Sea differences.

    The prospect of exploiting the Aegean’s oil and gas reserves is perhaps making some politicians here all too keen to wrap up negotiations. However, if Greece is really anxious to drill for the resources (if they exist), it would be wise to neither ignore Ankara’s reactions nor rush to settle any outstanding disputes with Turkey.

    There’s always room for ad hoc solutions that enable joint action without prior settlement of more substantial issues.

    via ekathimerini.com | Property returns. What now?.

  • Greece and Turkey Cooperate on New TV Show

    Greece and Turkey Cooperate on New TV Show

    Two new shows will be screened on the Turkish channel TRT, as well as on a Greek channel. One of the shows will be a 13-episode production entitled ”Journey to the Aegean”, the filming of which will take place mainly in the Aegean Sea and is expected to begin on September 10 in Istanbul.

    According to the online edition of the newspaper Zaman, the idea for the show came from Mary Ekmeksioglu, a chef who met Erdal Murat Aktaş, director of the Turkish films “Mumya Firarda” and “Kirpi”, and decided that they should cooperate on a project.

    “I met Mary at a restaurant in Turkey where she lives. She knows the cultures of both countries very well. I told her about a project I had in mind and I agreed to cooperate with her once she told me about her own ideas,” Aktas commented, explaining how the idea for production began.

    As Murat Aktaş stated, ‘The show will have not only impressive shots, but Greek and Turkish celebrities as well who will speak about their experiences and moments of Greek-Turkish friendship.”

    via Greece and Turkey Cooperate on New TV Show | Greek Reporter Europe.