Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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July 13, 2009

Turkey, EU Nations Sign Landmark Gas Pipeline Agreement
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=254E72D:A6F02AD83191E160C7B55B34E13E1056C030207A0BD70133&
 
Gas pipeline will stretch from Caspian Sea region to Western Europe 
Turkey and four European countries have signed a landmark deal aimed at
reducing Europe's dependence on Russian natural gas. The prime ministers
of Turkey, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania and Hungary met in Ankara Monday
to approve the deal, which envisions a gas pipeline stretching from the
Caspian Sea region to Western Europe. The U.S. State Department hailed
the agreement, calling it a "significant milestone" in achieving the
U.S.-European shared vision of a new energy corridor. The Nabucco
pipeline will pass through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, bypassing
Russia and Ukraine. Azerbaijan is seen potentially as the primary gas
provider for the pipeline. Turkmenistan, Iraq and Egypt also have been
mentioned as potential long-term suppliers. Russia's Ria Novosti news
agency says Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan invited Russia
and Iran to join the project. The 3,300-kilometer Nabucco pipeline is
seen as a rival to the Moscow-backed South Stream pipeline, which is to
route Central Asian gas through Russia, Ukraine and the Balkans to
Italy. Doubts about Russian and Ukrainian reliability as gas providers
resurfaced in January, when a pricing dispute and a subsequent cut-off
of Russian supplies led to severe energy shortages in Western Europe.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, U.S. special envoy
Richard Morningstar and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also
attended Monday's ceremony.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.


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