"Turkey pushes bid for EU membership; Erdogan pledges to change policies" by Ingrid Melander, Reuters | January 20, 2009
BRUSSELS - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.... started his visit by threatening to reconsider his support for the EU-backed Nabucco gas pipeline project because of a Cypriot veto on energy-related aspects of Ankara's membership negotiations.
To run around Russia, right?
The $12 billion project, which would bring Middle Eastern and Caspian gas to Europe via Turkey, is seen as one of Europe's best hopes for limiting its dependence on Russian natural gas. The need for alternative sources was highlighted by this month's cutoff of Russian supplies passing through Ukraine.
I told ya!
Later, after meeting EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Erdogan said he would never use Nabucco as a weapon and that he fully backed the project. The two insisted that cooperation between the EU and Turkey on energy matters was crucial....
The EU wants Ankara to revise its constitution, improve free speech, grant more rights to minorities, and curb the power of the army....
How about TURNING THOSE GOALS on YOURSELVES rather than LECTURING OTHERS, snob-snouts?
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"Russia restarts natural gas flow to Europe
PISAREVKA, Russia - Russian natural gas finally flowed into Europe once again yesterday, after Moscow and Kiev pulled back from an energy war that drastically reduced supplies to many nations for two tough weeks this winter.
But the resolution looked more like a cease-fire than a permanent peace, with no guarantee against renewed hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, two former Soviet neighbors with sharply contrasting views of the future.
The experience of the last two weeks has left many in Europe bitter toward both and eager to sever an energy lifeline that leads to the gas fields of Siberia. The 27-nation European Union gets about a quarter of its gas from Russia....
Which means the Russians got a tight hold on their testes!
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