ISTANBUL (AA)
By Selen Tonkus
The EU is focused on Turkey's transit of natural gas to Europe, says deputy head of European Union delegation to Turkey Bela Szombati on Thursday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of "Mapping the Future of Energy" conference organized in Istanbul, Szombati underlined the importance of Trans Anatolian Pipeline Project (TANAP), a scheme to carry Azerbaijani gas to Europe via Greece, Albania and Italy.
He emphasized that further gas deliveries such as Caspian, Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean gas via Turkey is also an expected possibility.
TANAP has been a focal point of recent discussions about Europe decreasing its dependency on Russian gas.
Szombati also touched upon the accession negotiations between Turkey and the EU, which includes an energy chapter, and said: "While waiting to open 15th energy chapter, we continue our cooperation and dialogue via meetings called 'positive agenda'."
He said closer Turkish legal framework to the one of EU, better chances for EU businessmen to invest in Turkish energy sector.
It is debated that EU’s bid to diversify its energy sources and guarantee supply security could bring about the opening of the fifteenth "chapter" or EU's accession policy area on energy, currently being blocked by the Greek Cypriots.
Turkey has to successfully conclude negotiations in 35 policy "chapters," which require reforms and the adoption of European standards, for its EU membership.
Since 2005 Turkey has been in negotiations on 13 of these policy areas and back in November 2013, following three years of deadlock, negotiations began on chapter 22 covering regional policy after Germany lifted its block following a positive progress report in October 2013.
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