EU's Natural Gas Pipeline Coordinator Due In Ankara

ANKARA/LONDON - Jozias van Aartsen, the coordinator of the European Union (EU) for natural gas projects in southern Europe, will arrive in Turkish capital of Ankara on Thursday.
Aartsen will hold talks with Turkish executives regarding the Nabucco project that aims to transport Central Asian natural gas to Europe via Turkey.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to receive Aartsen.
"If they (Turkey) are seeking a relationship with the EU, it is one of the ways to make really clear that they do want a future relationship," Aartsen told the British Financial Times daily before his trip to Turkey.
The Nabucco pipeline is a planned natural gas pipeline that will transport natural gas from Turkey to Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. It will run from Erzurum in Turkey to Baumgarten an der March, a major natural gas hub in Austria. Some consider the pipeline as a diversion from the current methods of importing natural gas solely from Russia.