TURKEY ASKS FOR ASSISTANCE ON TURKMEN GAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001207 SIPDIS SIPDIS EEB FOR A/S SULLIVAN EUR FOR DAS BRYZA SCA FOR DAS MANN DOE FOR DAS HEGBURG USTDA FOR DAN STEIN E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2017 TAGS: EPET ECIN PREL AJ TX KZ RS TU SUBJECT: TURKEY ASKS FOR ASSISTANCE ON TURKMEN GAS REF: ANKARA 1121 Classified By: DCM Nancy McEldowney, reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) Summary: MFA U/S Apakan expressed concern about the Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan-Russia gas deal and told Ambassador that Turkey wants closer collaboration with the US on access to Turkmen gas. Ambassador offered to provide what information we have about the Russian agreement and encouraged Apakan to engage quickly with Azerbaijan to get Azeri gas flowing into Turkey and beyond. Ambassador suggested that the Caspian Petronas gas field was a potential source for Turkish imports and urged that Turkey discuss this with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. They agreed that the June 5 EU-Turkey Energy Summit was a good opportunity to urge a more activist posture from the EC on the "southern gas corridor." End summary ¶2. (C) As a part of a broader May 15 discussion, Apakan asked what we know about the Russian agreement to purchase Turkmen natural gas, including the volume and timing of deliveries, the pipeline, and what Turkmenistan's real production capacities will be in the 2012-2015 timeframe. Working on the Turkmen gas issue has become a top MFA priority, he said, and will be discussed at the EU-Turkey Energy Summit on June 5 in Istanbul and in the June 25 Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Summit, also to be hosted by the GOT in Istanbul. Turkey wants closer cooperation with US on the acquisition of Central Asian energy, Apakan told Ambassador, and hopes there is room to work together on Turkmenistan sources. The MFA had heard that Amb. Steve Mann might be traveling to Ashgabat soon, and would welcome any input before or after his trip. ¶3. (C) Ambassador told Apakan that the details of the Russian agreement were not clear, but items mentioned were not surprising, having already been under discussion. He offered to convey any information we receive on the deal, as well as information on Turkmenistan's future production potential. Ambassador emphasized that this appeared to be a political declaration rather than a commercial agreement. He noted Turkmenistan has problems sustaining what production it currently has primarily because it has not invested enough. Ambassador recalled his recent discussions with Energy Minister Guler (reftel) in which he emphasized a key variable for promoting egress of Turkmen gas via the Trans-Caspian Pipeline (TCP) was getting Azeri gas flowing to and beyond Turkey. He encouraged Apakan to engage at a senior level with the Azeris as soon as possible on obtaining gas supplies and a long-term transit agreement. Ambassador also suggested that Turkey discuss with Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Petronas the potential for westward shipments from the Caspian Petronas field which we understand may not feed into the Russian deal. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON