Russia is interested in building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Turkey’s Ceyhan port on the Mediterranean coast, a Turkish foreign ministry official said on Thursday.
The official, who spoke during a briefing with reporters, declined to be named or to give further details.
Turkey now has one LNG terminal on its northwest coast.
Read More…

go to permalink....

Even as Russia works to increase Europe’s dependence on it for oil and natural gas shipments, Europe is bickering with Turkey about fees for a pipeline that could be an alternative to the Kremlin option.
Over the past few months, Gazprom has been exceptionally active in the Balkans where the European Union and Russia are competing [...]

go to permalink....

For Iranian consumers, Turkmenistan’s halting of natural gas deliveries to the Islamic republic on Dec. 31 has represented a bitter New Year’s present, as the country endures its hardest winter in a decade. The weather has caused 21 deaths, and Iran’s northern regions are covered with nearly 2 feet of snow.
…
Turkmenistan’s “pipeline politics” had [...]

go to permalink....

During the Cold war the United States could count on Turkey as being its strongest ally in the western world. Not only was Turkey anti communist, it was secular, democratic, and had close ties to Israel. Now, one can’t say any of those things apply to Turkey.
Democracy, and, more importantly, the rule of law have [...]

go to permalink....

Turkey has said it plans to build three nuclear plants with a total capacity of about 5,000 megawatts to become operational in 2012 in a bid to prevent a possible energy shortage and reduce dependence on foreign energy supplies.
Read More…

go to permalink....

By George Friedman
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerrillas based in northern Iraq ambushed Turkish troops near the border Oct. 21, killing 12 soldiers and suffering 23 casualties in the ensuing firefight, according to the Turkish government. For its part, the PKK said it captured eight Turkish troops, though Ankara has not confirmed the claim.
Based on prior [...]

go to permalink....

Istanbul Protests: “Curse the PKK, Curse America”
Washington Post, United States - 11 hours ago
7. Israeli interventions in Lebanon and Palestine (supposedly backed by US) 8. 2001 Economic crises could be traced back to the first Gulf War. …
Analysis: A possible new Iraq war United Press International
Protests in Turkey after deadly skirmish as Western leaders urge [...]

go to permalink....

Turkish-American relations face two significant challenges. One has to do with the Turkish inclination to enter northern Iraq in order to deal with Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters operating there. The other is connected with an upcoming US House of Representatives vote on a resolution to recognize as genocide the mass killings of Armenians by [...]

go to permalink....

As Turkey pushes ahead with its nuclear energy ambitions in the face of predicted energy shortfalls and a perceived threat from Iran, critics express concerns about internal safety, security and a regional arms race.
Read More…

go to permalink....

Tensions between the US and Turkey are growing as Ankara considers attacking PKK bases in northern Iraq and a congressional committee in Washington pushes forward a resolution calling the World war I massacre of Armenians “genocide.” German commentators are concerned at the deteriorating relations between the NATO allies. more…

Pursuing the PKK: Turkey Prepares for Incursions [...]

go to permalink....

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s president warned the U.S. government Tuesday that their longtime ties will be harmed if Congress passes a resolution putting the genocide label on the mass killings of ethnic Armenians in Ottoman Turk lands during World war I.
President Abdullah Gul said in a letter there would be “serious troubles” if Congress [...]

go to permalink....

A closer look at Turkish-Iranian rivalry in Central Asia and the Caucasus and its impact on Russia
While the global news media has given extensive coverage to the geopolitics of energy resources in the former Soviet Empire, little attention has been paid to the competition between Turkey and Iran in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and [...]

go to permalink....

Rumors are floating in Washington and elsewhere that Turkey is preparing to move against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an anti-Turkish group seeking an independent Kurdistan in Turkey. One report, by Robert Novak in the Washington Post, says the United States is planning to collaborate with Turkey in suppressing the PKK in northern Iraq, an [...]

go to permalink....

Reflecting a constantly worsening relationship between NATO allies Turkey and the united States in recent years, a new poll revealed Thursday that more than three-fourths of Turks view the U.S. as a potential military threat to their country.
The U.S.-based Pew Research Center’s latest global tendencies report was based on polls conducted in 47 nations throughout [...]

go to permalink....

The results of last week’s elections in Turkey should be deeply troubling to America and all those in the secular West who were counting on a successful resistance of the expansion of Islamic extremism there. Cox & Forkum’s new cartoon illustrates this very serious rising new threat.
July 24, 2007 — THE bad news is that [...]

go to permalink....