Any east Med gas project must include Turkey, says Erdogan
Speaking in the wake of US misgivings on a subsea pipeline designed to supply Europe with natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that Washington had withdrawn its support for the EastMed project due to questions about its economic viability.
“This is not a project that will materialize. [The US] conducted all the analyses on this, they saw that there is nothing positive about this business,” Erdogan was quoted by Turkish media as telling journalists aboard his return flight from Albania.
Erdogan added that any such energy project in the region would have to include Turkey.
“This business cannot be done without Turkey. Because if [gas] is to be transferred to Europe from here, it will only happen through Turkey,” Erdogan was quoted as saying.
According to the same reports, the Turkish strongman voiced Ankara’s interest in resuming talks for bringing Israeli gas to Europe.
