HURRIYET- Columnist Muharrem Sarikaya comments on the signing of an agreement between Turkey and Greece regarding a natural gas pipeline. A summary of his column is as follows:
Both Turkey and Greece spent the last century quibbling in the political arena and standing guard against each other in the military field. The presidents and prime ministers of both countries didn't make official visits to each other. The first steps to turn Aegean into a lake of peace were taken by Turkish businessmen. Foreign Minister Ismail Cem's initiating a dialogue with his counterpart George Papandreou helped to improve this climate. During Admiral Salim Dervisoglu's term of duty, erupting crises were solved through telephone diplomacy. All these developments led to the historical agreement which will be signed between Turkey and Greece today. Our nations will be connected to each other through a natural gas pipeline. The agreement regarding the construction of the pipeline will be signed in Ankara today by Turkish Energy Minister Zeki Cakan and Greek Development Minister Akis Tsohatsopoulos. The most important factor regarding this agreement is that it is the first joint venture on such a great scale to be signed by the two countries. When we take into consideration that over the last three years, the trade volume between the countries rose from $400 million to $1 billion, the importance of this project can be better understood. Energy Minister Cakan yesterday pointed out that cooperation in the field of energy had contributed a great deal to the improvement of economic and political relations. According to Cakan, the length of the Karacabey-Komotini (Gumulcine) natural gas pipeline will be 285 km. The 200 km. Karacabey-Ipsala stretch will be constructed by Turkey and the 85 km. Ipsala-Komotini section by Greece. Cakan also noted that Turkey would be a firsthand seller, and not be a transit country for the Caspian or Iranian natural gas. At first, 500,000 cubic metres of gas are planned to be sold. Greece will give a 'purchase guarantee' to Turkey for this amount and it will sell the natural gas it bought from Turkey to Europe if it wishes to do so. As Cakan has stressed, the pipeline will be instrumental in transforming the rapprochement between the two countries into economic cooperation. Thus, the political and strategic dimension of the pipeline will come to the fore rather than its economic aspect. Although Cakan didn't set a deadline for the completion of the pipeline, he said that they hoped it would be completed in a few years' time.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION