Israel favors gas exports through Turkey

Baku. 27 May. REPORT.AZ/ The only route big enough for Israel’s gas exportation is a country like Turkey which is capable of providing infrastructure and further exportation to the West, Shai Cohen, the Consul-General of Israel in Istanbul has said, Report informs referring to the Russian RIA Novosti. 

“An Israeli-Turkish deal is natural under the circumstances of the region, what is happening now in the region, our relations with our neighbors and so on. This is real politics. The situation in the region right now demands this kind of energy cooperation for Israel and Turkey.”

Turkish and Israeli private sector companies are discussing a possible gas pipeline project between Israel and Turkey to transport natural gas supplies to Europe from the Leviathan gas field, which holds an estimated 500 billion cubic meters of gas. 

“From the geopolitical point of view, without Turkey as a hub for energy sources, and especially natural gas from east to west and from north to south, it will be very difficult to really diversify and be effective in the diversification of energy resources,” he said. 

According to Cohen, the supply of natural gas requires adequate infrastructure. Because of Turkey’s geopolitical location, it is very important that much of the natural gas transfers would be through Turkey and with Turkish involvement in infrastructure construction of pipelines and LNG stations.

Cohen added that such a project would be costly and would require the goodwill of investors, construction companies and both governments. 

The pipeline infrastructure, the development of the gas fields and the pipeline to the Southern Turkish would cost about $4 billion alone, not counting further expenses which would be conducted afterwards, Cohen explained.