Will Russia, Iran dash Turkey's hopes of becoming energy corridor?
The recently signed Caspian protocol between the Caspian littoral states means that Iran and Russia can thwart Turkey’s hopes of transporting Turkmen gas and Kazakh oil via Turkey to Europe.
As Turkey’s relations with the West have been deteriorating, it has been trying to deepen its ties with Russia. Yet Ankara is about to suffer a major setback as the five Caspian littoral states (Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan) are getting ready to conclude their 27-year dispute.
The 14th article of the Caspian Sea convention that will be signed on Aug. 12 at a summit in Aktau, Kazakhstan, gives littoral states a say on the pipeline that will traverse their territorial waters.
Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan insisted the pipeline should be regulated by countries whose territorial waters are used, but Russia and Iran insisted on approval from all of the five states. Russian and Iran voiced their environmental concerns citing the decline in sturgeon and caviar production in recent years.
The accord that was agreed on in the previous 50 meetings appears to be removing barriers on the energy lines that will start from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan and reach Europe through Azerbaijan and Turkey.
