A latest trilateral assembly between Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan has proven that Ankara can play a important position in connecting gas-rich Turkic Central Asia with the West.
Under the shadow of the raging Ukraine battle that has disrupted vitality markets worldwide, the gas-rich Turkic Central Asia has emerged as a important area for the energy-hungry world.
However, the predominantly Turkic-populated Central Asia – from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan – performed a vital position in international geopolitics lengthy earlier than Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24. These Turkic nations – extending from China to the borders of Türkiye – have been on the centre of what’s referred to as the ‘Great Game’ of the nineteenth century, a fierce competitors for dominance between the previous Russian and British empires.
With each empires gone and their successor states not that highly effective to dictate phrases, the Central Asian republics are actually turning to Türkiye as they search to construct a brand new mutually useful alliance – the empowered Organization of Turkic States (OTS).
Increasing ties between Central Asia and Türkiye, which has not too long ago moved in direction of turning into a possible fuel hub for Europe following the Ukraine battle, may need essential results on the West’s vitality provide, in response to consultants.
“Gas flow to Europe from Russia has decreased to very low levels. Europe needs to diversify its resources and buy gas from different sources,” says Emre Erturk, a outstanding vitality skilled and Founder and Managing Director at CEEN Energy Information Services and Consultancy. “One of the most probable sources of gas that can reach Europe in the shortest time can come from countries located east of Türkiye,” Erturk tells TRT World, referring to states like Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
Transporting Central Asia’s fuel to Europe by means of Türkiye is a protracted pending challenge, relationship again to the Nineteen Nineties. But the latest trilateral assembly between Turkmen, Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders in Turkmenistan’s Awaza metropolis has proven this challenge shouldn’t be a dream anymore.
“We now need to start working on transporting Turkmen natural gas to Western markets. We are ready to cooperate with our Turkmen and Azerbaijani brothers in the ‘Dostluq’ (Friendship) Field in the Caspian Sea,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated after the summit final week.
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Due to a maritime rights dispute, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan couldn’t attain an settlement earlier to construct a pipeline to hold Turkmen fuel to Azerbaijan by means of the Caspian after which to Türkiye and Europe.
But final yr, the 2 Turkic states reached a landmark deal that enables them to supply fuel in wells throughout the disputed fuel space, which they now name the Dostluq Field. Turkmenistan has the world’s second greatest fuel discipline in Galkynysh positioned in its southeastern Mary province.
Will Turkmen fuel attain Europe?
The realisation of this joint manufacturing between Baku and Ashgabat has elevated hopes that Turkmen fuel could possibly be carried to Azerbaijan by way of a pipeline with a Caspian crossing, in response to Erturk. Then, he provides, it might circulate by means of TANAP (Türkiye-Azerbaijan Natural Gas Pipeline) to Türkiye and Europe. TANAP is linked with the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which carries fuel to Europe from Türkiye.
“As a result, the recent energy negotiations between Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are of great importance for both Ankara’s and Europe’s energy supply security,” Erturk says.
Matthew Bryza, a former US ambassador to Azerbaijan who had been a number one voice within the formation of Washington’s Central Asia coverage prior to now, additionally thinks the latest assembly can have acute results. “They agreed on something that includes moving Turkmenistan’s natural gas across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan,” Bryza tells TRT World. And from Azerbaijan by means of Türkiye, Turkmen fuel might attain Europe, he says.
“That’s something which has never been agreed before,” says Bryza, indicating the altering temper throughout the Turkic world. Due partly to Russian stress, he provides that Turkmenistan hesitated to hitch Türkiye and Azerbaijan on the plan to export its fuel to Europe.
Before the latest trilateral assembly, final month, Türkiye, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan additionally got here collectively together with Georgia, a Caucasian state and one of many co-host states of the Baku-Ceyhan-Tbilisi pipeline (BTC). In the assembly, the three Turkic states mentioned important points, like learn how to carry the Turkic world’s fuel to the West.
Due to the Ukraine battle and growing cooperation amongst Turkic states, Kazakhstan has reportedly proven rising curiosity in carrying its oil by means of non-Russian routes, just like the BTC, to Europe.
Like Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan additionally goals to strengthen the Caspian crossing for each transportation and fuel exportation functions. “Our President [Kassym-Jomart Tokayev] has always emphasised that the Caspian crossing using the Middle Corridor [which extends from China to Türkiye] is one of our national priorities,” Abzal Saparbekuly, the previous Kazakh ambassador to Türkiye, tells TRT World.
“We are very much interested in opening European Union markets without Russia through Azerbaijan, through Türkiye, our key partner in this region,” says Zhanibek Baidulla, Managing Partner of Center for Strategic Initiatives, a consulting firm working with completely different vitality companies, together with state-funded enterprises in Kazakhstan.
(Fatih Uzun / TRTWorld)
Türkiye is now turning into “a very big energy hub in the region. And, of course, Kazakhstan is very much interested in becoming part of that major project,” Baidulla tells TRT World.
On Friday, in Silivri, a European district of Istanbul, Erdogan inaugurated the continent’s largest pure fuel storage, demonstrating one other clear step towards Türkiye’s intention to be a fuel hub for the West.
Strengthening bond
The past several weeks have witnessed not only the two energy-focussed trilateral meetings in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan but also the summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand, demonstrating a trend of strengthening ties among Turkic-speaking member countries, which include Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan.
Last year, the Turkic Council, founded in 2009, changed its name to the Organization of Turkic States, signalling that political connectedness between Central Asia and Türkiye is taking root and moving forward to rediscover its historical path across Eurasia.
Turkmenistan has been an observer state within the OTS, like Hungary, a central European nation, which has not too long ago proven a powerful willingness to find its Turkic roots. The Central Asian state additionally signalled that it could be a part of the political bloc quickly, resulting in the group’s growing attraction in Central Asia.
“The Organization of Turkic States is kind of like the United Nations for the Turkic world,” says Uli Schamiloglu, professor and chair of the Department of Kazakh Language and Turkic Studies at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan.
In 2006, former Kazakh President Nur Sultan Nazarbayev was the first politician to propose forming the Turkic Council. Kazakhstan, like Türkiye, has long been a fierce defender of the Turkic alliance.
Experts like Schamiloglu point out that Turkic cooperation is more about peaceful integration projects than posing any threat to Russia. All of the Central Asian Turkic states were former Soviet republics, being under Moscow’s rule.
“People like to say that this is not designed against anybody. On the contrary, this is about promoting friendship, integration, cultural exchange and economic cooperation in the Turkic world,” Schamiloglu tells TRT World.
Omer Kocaman, the deputy secretary general of the OTS, also thinks similarly. “We are a very young organisation, and we are also a good-natured organisation,” Kocaman tells TRT World.
“We share what we do on our website and social media. We have no secret agenda,” Kocaman says. The OTS activities will contribute to regional peace and economic development as well as have a positive effect on stabilising Afghanistan, says the top OTS official.
“As a result, no one has to fear from our organisation’s activities,” he says. “We are not against anyone, but we also fear from no one,” he provides.
Source: TRT World
