TURKEY'S GAS TO GREECE FLOWING AGAIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000228 SIPDIS SIPDIS ANKARA PASS TO ADANA EEB FOR A/S SULLIVAN EUR FOR DAS BRYZA EEB FOR MANN DOE FOR HEGBURG E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2018 TAGS: ENRG EPET TU SUBJECT: TURKEY'S GAS TO GREECE FLOWING AGAIN REF: ANKARA 200 Classified By: Economic Counselor Dale Eppler for reasons 1.4 (B) and ( D) ¶1. (C) On February 7, the Prime Minister's office notified the Ambassador that Turkey had resumed natural gas exports to Greece. BOTAS (state pipeline company) Director for Natural Gas Contracts Selcuk Advan confirmed that the gas was flowing to Greece again, although the level was less than the contracted amount. He declined to specify how much gas they were supplying, but said it was sufficient to be readable by the metering equipment at the Turkey-Greek Border (i.e., more than 20,000 cubic meters/hour, the minimum level that the metering system will register, see reftel). ¶2. (C) Energy Ministry Advisor Faruk Demir told us that Energy Minister Guler held a late night meeting with BOTAS officials on February 6 about gas supply to Greece and instructed them to turn the gas back on. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey WILSON