Gaz de France won't be involved in Nabucco project by reason of Armenian Genocide issue

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey opposes Gaz de Frances (GDF) inclusion in the Nabucco gas pipeline project over France's positions on the Armenian Genocide and Ankara's European Union bid, a senior energy official said.



His comments, reiterating Turkey's previously stated opposition, followed expressions of support from Romania's president and Hungarian firm MOL MOL.BU for GDF's involvement in the project that would bring Caspian gas to Europe.



The five billion-euro ($7.4 billion) pipeline is designed to pass via Turkey and the Balkans to Austria and is a key plank of the European Union's plans to reduce its dependence on Russian gas imports. It is planned for completion in 2012.



The Turkish official, who declined to be named, said in normal conditions Turkey would be glad to accept GDF as a partner given its experience and success in the energy sector. "Turkey avoids using energy as a political instrument, it has no such aim," he said.



Ankara has previously said it opposed Gaz de France's involvement in the project because of France's approval of a bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered a genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks in 1915-16.



Turkey is also upset about French President Nicolas Sarkozy's opposition to Ankara's quest for EU membership. Sarkozy says the EU cannot absorb Turkey, a relatively poor Muslim country with 70 million people, and says Brussels should instead negotiate a "privileged partnership."



The Nabucco consortium is equally owned by oil and gas companies in the transit countries - Austria's OMV, Hungary's MOL, Romania's Transgaz, Bulgaria's Bulgargaz and Turkey's Botas.



The Nabucco consortium on Tuesday confirmed German utility RWE will join the project.



The Turkish Energy Ministry official said six partners was enough for the project but that a seventh partner, from a gas-producing country, could join.



He said Turkey was in favor of Turkey's Botas constructing the pipelines as far as Ankara, from where Turkey wants the Nabucco project to begin. It could construct these pipelines in cooperation with other companies, he said, Reuters reports.