Erdogan revisits old gas proposal with Israeli FM

Leaks in Turkey regarding the possibility of exporting Israeli gas through Turkey have brought the issue back to the fore following a meeting in Ankara between Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to reports, Erdogan reiterated that Turkey has facilities and can help export Israeli gas to Europe.

Moreover, the same reports said, Cohen reportedly said that the issue would be considered.

It is worth noting that these leaks are almost identical to similar ones made last March when the Turkish president had then met in Ankara with his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog.

Other analysts in the Israeli press, such as Barak Ravid of Haaretz, thought that this was, however, a scenario with many difficulties that would ultimately not come to fruition.

Meanwhile, sources have told Kathimerini that during his recent visit to Jerusalem, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias was briefed by his Israeli counterpart on Israel’s energy plans for the coming period.

In any case, the Turkish leaks are indicative of Ankara’s attempt to take advantage of the current situation to promote its old goals, despite the situation at home due to the earthquakes.

Turkey’s aspiration to mediate for the export of Israeli gas to Europe is an old plan and has been proposed, unsuccessfully, by previous governments, even in the midst of Turkish-Israeli tensions.

More specifically, before the failure of the Crans-Montana talks to resolve the Cyprus problem in 2017, a plan envisaging a united Cyprus included the transfer of gas to the island, then to Turkey and from there to Europe.

Given the fact that an overland pipeline from Israel to Turkey is probably impossible as it would have to cross either Syria or both Lebanon and Syria, the only possibility is some cooperation in the LNG sector.

At the moment Israeli gas is exported from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe and elsewhere primarily via Egypt.