Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has raised the prospect of normalizing ties with Israel, saying that Ankara is ready to discuss an alternative gas pipeline after the United States rescinded support for a planned conduit to carry Israeli gas to Europe via Cyprus and Greece.
In remarks to reporters Jan. 18, Erdogan noted that feasibility concerns forced Washington to backpedal on the Eastern Mediterranean Pipeline Project (EastMed), arguing that Turkey was the only viable route for Israeli gas sales to Europe. “This cannot happen without Turkey,” he said, recalling that Turkish and Israeli officials held talks on the issue several years ago. Now, "We can sit down and discuss the conditions,” he said, adding that Israeli President Isaac Herzog might visit Turkey soon.
The EastMed project, based on an accord signed between Israel, Greece and the Greek Cypriots in January 2020, envisions a 1,900-kilometer pipeline, running from Israel to Cyprus and then to Greece and Italy, with a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters per year at a cost of some 7 billion euros ($7.9 billion). US support was crucial for the project, touted as an effort to reduce the European Union’s gas reliance on Russia. Yet question marks have hovered over the route and cost of the planned conduit. Washington’s decision to withdraw its support stemmed from similar concerns about cost, in addition to environmental and geopolitical considerations.
Indeed, the project appears too costly given its relatively small capacity. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany, for instance, has a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year and was built at a cost of some $10 billion. Meanwhile, after the change of guard at the White House last year, Washington now prioritizes renewable energy sources. Finally, given Turkey’s exclusion from the EastMed project and other energy-focused alliances in the region, Washington’s move is a tacit admission that the project has become too politically fraught in a region where tensions are already high over gas exploration and territorial rights.
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