Declarations reviving plans for the Turkish Stream project worries the European Commission, not the EU countries, because the pipeline will be very useful for the EU countries, Russian experts Igor Yushkov and Sergey Markov said, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza.
A leading analyst of the National Energy Security Fund, a lecturer at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Igor Yushkov, stressed that the Turkish Stream will be beneficial not only for the countries of southern Europe, but also for large EU consumers, which need to diversify gas supply routes.
"Basically, it is Brussels and the Eastern European countries, which put a spoke in the wheel, because if Russia stops the gas transit via Ukraine, they will also lose part of the profit from transit fees. Therefore, they also strongly torpedo the Nord Stream-2, the South stream and the Turkish Stream projects," he explained.
According to the expert, about 67 billion cubic meters of gas was pumped via Ukraine in 2015. "And this is only transit volumes. Accordingly, if all these amounts will be transferred to the Turkish stream or the Nord Stream-2, the Eastern European countries will be deprived of income, and the basic margin will be received by countries part of the Turkish Stream operating company. " Turkey and Greece will become the main transit countries," the leading analyst of the National Energy Security fund said.
A set of measures which can be taken against the Turkish Stream project by those unhappy with it is similar to the actions which hinder the South Stream, Yushkov said. "Firstly, applying pressure on the countries, through which territories the pipeline is supposed to be laid. In the case of the Turkish stream it is not even Turkey in the first place, but Greece," the expert said.
In addition, a desire of Washington and Brussels to keep the transit via Ukraine is due to the expectations of the EU and the US that in case of signing a new long-term agreement on the Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine, they will buy stakes in the gas transportation system and will make profits themselves along with Kiev.
At the same time, Yushkov noticed that the anxiety about the Turkish stream has a political implication. "The US openly says that it is concerned about the implementation of the Nord Stream-2, because it would put the West in greater dependence on Russian gas. But if we are going to transfer the available volumes, which are already supplied to Europe, by a different route, how can it increase Europe's dependence on Russia? "the expert noted.
"The US wants Europe's gas to be quite expensive, and it requires all sorts of obstacles to the reliability of gas supplies to Europe. After all, expensive gas will entail expensive electricity and, therefore, expensive goods. And Americans want to reduce the competitiveness of European goods on world markets," the leading analyst of the National Energy Security Fund noted.
"That's why they sign these Transpacific affiliate programs with Asia and agree on a partnership with Europe - to supply their cheap goods," Igor Yushkov explained.
The director of the Institute of Political Studies, Sergey Markov, also stressed that concerns about the Turkish stream is being expressed not by the EU as a whole, but the European Commission, "and it's a different thing." "On the contrary, many EU countries are very satisfied with new opportunities," the expert said.
The expert noted that the European Commission will hardly impose any restrictions on the project. "The possibility of the European Commission are rather limited in this sphere. The fact is that technologically the Turkish Stream is planned very well," he explained.
"A road to the Turkish territory pass trough the Black Sea, and Turkey has the right to consume the gas. After this the pipeline passes to the border with Greece, and if Greece wants it can place it on its territory, and a political position of Athens is quite independent. Bulgaria, which was banned to use its territory for the pipeline, agreed, but the already existing infrastructure can be activated. And then Hungary and Austria, which also have an independent position. Therefore, I think that the technological capabilities of building this pipeline are very high," Sergey Markov concluded.
