Türkiye agrees to complete Nabucco accord by the end of June

Bloomberg - Türkiye has agreed to complete talks on an intergovernmental agreement on the Nabucco gas pipeline project and sign an accord by the end of next month. The pledge came in a statement released in Prague by the Czech presidency of the EU following a meeting between European Union officials and leaders from Türkiye and five Central Asian countries. The pipeline is designed to carry gas from the Caspian region to Europe via Türkiye and Austria. The EU and Türkiye agreed “to finish the negotiations of the intergovernmental agreement on Nabucco as quickly as possible” and “to sign it by the end of June 2009 in Türkiye,” said the Czech presidency. Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the EU Commission, told reporters after the meeting that he is “confident” Türkiye will sign a gas transit deal soon. Andris Piebalgs, the Energy Commissioner of the EU, said talks with Türkiye “have very much progressed.” Gas will start pumping through Nabucco to Europe by 2015, two years later than scheduled, as more time is needed to obtain gas commitments, said Andris Piebalgs in January.