Turkey mulls energy swap plan with IraqApril 14, 2012 - 12:05 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Turkish government plans to build a power station near the northern Iraqi border and may sell electricity to Iraq in exchange for natural gas, Turkey’s energy and natural resources minister said April 13. “With the power station we build near the northern border of Iraq, we will supply them with electricity, and in exchange they will give us natural gas,” Minister Taner Yıldız said at a press conference in Ankara, adding that they were working on important steps to import natural gas from Iraq and this would be a very transparent process. He said the natural gas would be imported from Iraq by the company that won the tender. As well as attempting to diversify Turkey’s petroleum imports, the government is also looking to find alternate sources of natural gas imports, Yıldız said. Yıldız also reminded journalists that Turkey had signed a special deal with Russian Gazprom and that no matter how much of a price hike Gazprom implemented on natural gas to Europe, Turkey would not be affected for the duration of the agreement, Hurriyet Daily News reported. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Mirzoyan says meeting with Bayramov was “constructive” At the moment, Ararat Mirzoyan said, there is no basis for additional comments. OSCE vows support for Armenia “in all three directions of security” Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. 151 detained as civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan Citizens have been blocking streets in the Armenian capital, demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation. France welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan meeting in Almaty France has welcomed the new round of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. |