At Nabucco signing ceremony, Yildiz stresses that EU countries must do their part

Partners of the Nabucco pipeline project, set to transport Caspian natural gas into Europe, diversifying the energy supplies of the 27-member European Union, came together yesterday to sign Project Support Agreements (PSA) in the central Turkish province of Kayseri. Also present at yesterday's ceremony were US Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar, EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger, and officials from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz, representing Turkey at the ceremony, said that the agreements resolve issues in a host of areas, such as nationalization, taxes, and personnel. "Turkey did its best," said Yildiz. "We will continue to put forward our positive attitude towards this project. We expect a similar political will from EU member countries." He added, "It is clear that Turkey and the EU need each other. We would like to once again stress that it is not right to delay Turkey's EU membership over political issues." The pipeline, expected to be operational by 2017, could carry 31 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year.