Turkey key to Western energy, security

While Turkey’s importance for the trans-Atlantic security structure in the Cold War era was linked to its geostrategic role for NATO, the US and the EU now see Ankara as a key ally in energy policy.

Turkey occupies an ideal geographic location for energy supplies, as a gateway between the oil- and gas-rich former Soviet countries and Southeastern Europe, and between the Black Sea region and the Middle East.

However, Turkey’s strategic significance in energy security has risen in recent years also because of Russia’s assertive energy policy in the context of US-Russian competition in Eastern Europe, the Caspian region and Central Asia. This has become even more evident since the 15-17 August Eurasian Economic Community summit held in Sochi, on the Black Sea, which gathered together Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Moscow agreed with Minsk and Astana to create a customs union, while another project involves a common market.

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