Straits in dire straits, Turkey tells Russia
Posted by meb at July 4th, 2008
Turkey reiterated yesterday its efforts to convince Russia to support its plans for building the Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline, a project hoped to alleviate the burden on the Turkish straits.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was in Ankara yesterday for a series of meetings with Turkish officials, including his Turkish counterpart, Ali Babacan.
Diplomatic sources familiar with the talks said Babacan briefed the visiting foreign minister about Turkey’s sensitivities on Istanbul (the Bosporus), and Çanakkale (the Dardanelles) straits, and introduced him to a recent report detailing the number of oil tankers passing through the Turkish straits. He also drew attention to the fact that increasing the number of tankers poses serious danger to Istanbul’s 14 million residents.
Lavrov said Russia respects the straits regime, according to the same sources, apparently referring to the Montreaux Treaty that sets the regime of the Turkish straits. In the past, the two countries disagreed over the treaty, which regulates the free passage from the straits, with the exception of military vessels. Turkey recently offered Russia an opportunity to co-build a bypass oil pipeline to lessen the flow of tankers, which mainly carry Russian oil to world markets. Moscow was cold to the offer and instead preferred another route passing through Bulgaria and Greece. Since then, both countries have been seeking ways to mend fences and re-establish the ground for cooperation.
Yesterday’s foreign ministers’ meeting was a good opportunity to discuss energy issues, according to the diplomats. Babacan said Turkey and Russia were not rivals but complementary on challenging energy issues, said the sources. Babacan repeated that Turkey was open to Russian involvement in the European Union-led Nabucco natural gas pipeline project. He also invited Russian companies to join Turkey’s lucrative energy projects.
Mideast role
Babacan told reporters at the joint press conference that a fresh round of indirect talks between Israel and Syria, mediated by Turkey, was due to end today.
“The third round of talks between Israel and Syria started in Istanbul yesterday and they will end tomorrow,” he said, adding that progress in the indirect talks could lay the groundwork for direct negotiations.
“Talks are still at a very early stage,” he noted.
In response to a question about U.S. plans for missile defense sites in Europe, Lavrov said they will “bring risk rather than security.” He said there is no change in Russia’s opposition to the U.S. plan to set up a missile base in Poland and a related proposal for a radar in the Czech Republic.
Meanwhile, Babacan heralded the fact that the agriculture ministers of the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding resolving the tomato crisis yesterday. Russia had stopped tomatoes imports from Turkey, arguing they were not complying with Russian standards.
“We are now expecting Turkish tomatoes,” Lavrov said smilingly at the press conference.
source: Turkish Daily News
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