Pyotr Lukimson, Israel. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
According to business circles in Israel and Turkey, both countries are about to sign a deal to cooperate in development of the Leviathan Gas Field of Israel. According to businessmen, the new treaty requires that a pipeline will run from the gas field to Turkey and then Europe.
Gas exports will give an income of about $4 billion a year to Israel. Israel will become the main gas supplier of Turkey (55% of Turkey’s gas imports come from Russia, 10% from Azerbaijan and the rest from Iran).
At the same time, Israeli governmental environment has doubts about signing of the contract, because relations with Turkey are not stable or predictable.
“Imagine that we invest huge sums into construction of a pipeline to Turkey and Ankara will suddenly decide to scrap the deal two years after and reject our gas. Israel would not have even 10% of the project paid off,” one of top officials of the Energy Ministry of Israel told Vestnik Kavkaza.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said that “new deals will not be possible, unless Israel apologizes for the Mavi Marmara incident.”
Meanwhile, it appeared that Israeli company ELTA will provide advanced equipment for Turkish combat jets, as a renewal of the agreement frozen in 2010. Skeptics say that the equipment will be installed in Boeing jets, so it does not mean rapprochement in the field of military cooperation of Israel and Turkey.
