The European Union is seeking expanded cooperation with Turkey on energy and hoping that a deal with Ankara on the planned Nabucco pipeline will be reached next year, but in Brussels energy ties between EU candidate Turkey and the 27-nation bloc are facing a stiff obstacle: objections raised by Greek Cyprus.

The Greek Cypriots have been blocking the opening of accession talks with Turkey on the energy negotiation chapter, citing Turkish opposition to its efforts to explore for oil in the eastern Mediterranean, which Ankara says violate the sovereign rights of Turkey and Turkish Cyprus in the region. The European Commission has already completed a preparatory report for the start of energy talks with Turkey and sent it to the European Council, made up of representatives of EU member-states, for approval. That means technical preparations for the talks are finished. Although the EU hopes to open talks on this chapter in a meeting with Turkey next month, this is unlikely to happen as long as the Greek Cypriots stick to their veto.

The opening of talks on energy is a step in the direction of institutionalizing cooperation between the EU and Turkey and creating a framework to promote energy cooperation with Turkey, which is located on important energy transit routes from the Middle East and the Caspian to Europe. European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, who met with top Turkish leaders this week in Ankara, said he hoped Europe and Turkey would reach a deal early next year on transit terms to make the planned $12 billion Nabucco gas pipeline a reality. The long-delayed project is intended to carry 30 billion cubic meters of Central Asian gas a year to Europe via Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary as part of a plan to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas.

"We discussed the issue of supply security for Turkey. I believe we have enough gas in the region so that everybody could be satisfied," Piebalgs said in remarks carried by Reuters. "The only issue is to find a way to accommodate the interests of the EU, producer countries and Turkey."

In remarks he made before starting his Ankara visit, Piebalgs suggested that the EU was very serious about cooperation with Turkey in the area of energy. On Wednesday, the European Commission underlined Turkey's role in energy security. "Closer energy cooperation between the EU, Turkey, as well as other states in the region -- both suppliers and transit countries -- is essential," a strategy paper released together with the annual progress report on Turkey's progress in EU harmonization said. "Existing and future pipeline projects are a resource for all countries through whose territory they pass, notably for Turkey. The timely completion of the Southern Gas Corridor through the swift realization of the planned projects, and notably the Nabucco gas pipeline, is among the EU's highest energy security priorities."

EU term president France is working hard to make sure talks on energy will start at next month's intergovernmental meeting, but the Greek Cypriots are still blocking a decision to that effect, EU sources told Today's Zaman.

Piebalgs participated in talks in Ankara with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President Abdullah Gül and Energy Minister Hilmi Güler before wrapping up his visit on Thursday. The visit was "extremely productive," Güler told Today's Zaman. The EU commissioner, Güler said, has reiterated once again that the EU's support for energy projects involving Turkey will continue at an increasing rate. Asked to comment on the Greek Cypriot objections, Güler said he was confident the EU would work to help promote existing cooperation.

In addition to talks on energy, the Greek Cypriots are also objecting to the start of talks on the negotiation chapter of education and culture. France, which had previously objected to the opening of negotiations on education and culture, later lifted its veto, leaving the Greek Cypriots and Greece as the only opponents to the start of talks. Greece and the Greek Cypriots want the EU to introduce "benchmarks," or opening criteria, for the start of talks on education and culture. Their demands include improvements in the rights of Greek foundations in Turkey.

Piebalgs admitted that the viability of the Nabucco pipeline could be threatened by the energy deals that Russia is pursuing in the Caspian region. Hurdles to building Nabucco have included securing a deal with energy-import-dependent Turkey, which analysts say has been dragging its feet at the bargaining table to win rights to import a portion of Nabucco gas for its own use.

Nabucco deal

The EU commissioner said that there was no disagreement over transit fees, but that Turkey was concerned about its own energy supplies. "Turkey ... doesn't want to see all the gas go from producer countries to the European Union," he explained.

European Commission officials had expected to reach a deal by the end of this year, but Piebalgs said Nabucco countries would now meet early next year to sign an intergovernmental agreement.

Piebalgs, who left Turkey for Azerbaijan late on Thursday on the second leg of his trip, said he was confident Nabucco's participants would secure sufficient gas volumes to make the project viable.

The pipeline is due to be operational by 2013, but before building can begin, its participants need commitments of at least 15 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Azerbaijan could provide at least half of that, but the Russian gas monopoly, Gazprom, has also offered to buy Azerbaijani gas at European prices. "It is obvious Russia is also a very serious bidder. Russia could make a proposal that is better than ours," he told Reuters, adding: "The gas is not only Azerbaijani, but in the medium term it is also Turkmen gas and Iraqi gas."

August's war between Russia and Georgia, one of the transit countries, increased doubts about the security of investing in the turbulent region. But Piebalgs said the EU was still committed to Nabucco and another pipeline project, called ITGI. The ITGI pipeline is expected to carry 12 billion cubic meters of Caspian gas a year to Europe via Turkey, Greece and Italy. Both are key to the efforts of the 27-member bloc to reduce its reliance on Russian gas.

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