| FROM CHIEF | Murat SARAYLI |
| Chairman of the Board of TUGIAD/Confedereration of Young European Businessmen (YES) |
|
TURKEY MAY CONTRIBUTE TO EUROPEAN ENERGY SECURITY |
The introductory developments of the 21st century show that the increasing energy need and demand, the energy supply policies meant to satisfy them and the energy security issue will occupy the first places on the global agenda.
In one side the rapidly increasing energy needs of the two new giants, China and India, in the Asian-Pacific region and in the other side the opening of new resources of energy to the international markets; the increasing need of a more clean and secure energy for environmental and climate concerns; the rapid increase of energy prices and finally the political situation in Middle East, the main energy supplier of the world make the energy security one of the most critical issues of the 21st century.
Turkey gains an increasing importance within this framework. First of all, the scarcity of its energy resources makes Turkey an important energy importer and market. Turkey needs at first to develop policies to ensure its own energy security.
When evaluated within the framework of global energy developments, Turkey transforms to an important energy corridor in this part of the world where the largest energy reserves lie and it becomes a important actor to ensure the global energy security.
James JONES, the commander of the USA’s forces in Europe, in its speech delivered two years ago in the Academies of War, had stated that the most important strategic issue of USA about Turkey is energy security.
This increasing importance of Turkey in the energy security field should be better and better translated to a strategic level in the Turkey - EU relations too. Indeed, the crisis due to Russia’s cot off of the natural gas to Ukraine made energy security the most important item of the agenda for Europe which is already dependent on external energy supplies and which becomes more dependent on Russian gas.
EU established a new strategy and new policies to ensure its energy security and disclosed them in February with its Green Paper document.
According to this document, the dependency of Europe on external resources would increase from 49% to 71% until 2030. And the natural gas would become the most consumed energy resource. In 2030, 625 bcm of the estimated total need of 901 bcm, e.g. 69% of the natural gas needed be Europe would be imported from Russia. And EU obviously aims to diversify and increase the number of its suppliers of natural gas.
Turkey might become on this ground the fourth biggest energy artery of Europe within 25 years, in conformity with the new energy security. Turkey could act as intermediary in the transportation of Central Asian, Caspian, Middle Eastern and North African natural gas to Europe, what would ensure the diversification needed by Europe and EU doesn’t have a more secure and cheaper alternative.
The energy issue must therefore have a strategic role between Turkey and EU.
Within this framework, we, as TUGIAD, we work to draw attention to the strategic importance of the energy issue in Turkey – EU relations. To that effect, we created at first our internal TUGIAD Energy Committee. Besides, we have prepared a report titled “The Strategic Role of Energy in EU – Turkey Relations” that will be presented during the meeting to be held on 11-13 May.
Our goal as TUGIAD is to show to Europe the advantages of Turkey in energy field and its potential and capacity to meet the energy security requirements of Europe. By doing this, we hope to contribute to the effective use of this advantage of Turkey in its relations with EU.
Yours faithfully.
