MOSCOW - Turkish Energy & Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler on Tuesday opposed projections that the chance of Nabucco project was becoming less likely, and said works of partners were going quite well.
The Nabucco project is a planned 3,300 kilometres natural gas pipeline that will carry gas from Turkey to Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary.
Guler, who attended a meeting of Turkish-Russian Joint Economic Commission in Moscow, said talks among the partners were going on.
"We took important steps recently. We agreed with the 6th partner (Germany`s RWE). Our discussions on the amount and rates of the natural gas are under way," Guler said. "We mind our own business."
Asked whether Turkey got a response from Russia regarding partnership in Nabucco project, Guler said such projects required detailed discussions.
"Our talks are going on. I will meet Russian Industry & Trade Minister Viktor Khristenko and we will definitely discuss energy issues," he said.
The Nabucco pipeline will run from Erzurum in Turkey to Baumgarten an der March, a major natural gas hub in Austria. This pipeline is an alternative to the current projects developed to import natural gas from Russia. It will be connected with the Tabriz-Erzurum pipeline, and with the South Caucasus Pipeline, linking Nabucco Pipeline with the planned Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline.
The project is developed by the Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH, established in 2004 in Vienna. The shareholders of the company are OMV (Austria), MOL (Hungary), Transgaz (Romania), Bulgargaz (Bulgaria), BOTAS (Turkey) and RWE (Germany).
Guler also said Turkey was working on several other projects, such as Arab gas to be pumped to Turkey and Iraqi natural gas. He said Turkey was also having talks with Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan for further energy projects.
He said his ministry was planning to initiate new projects to explore oil in Turkey.
"We will initiate drilling in Black Sea in 2009," he stated.
(TÇ-MS)