Nabucco top priority, Ankara says

ANKARA, Turkey, July 8 (UPI) -- The Nabucco natural gas pipeline for Europe will contribute to energy security and remains a top priority for Ankara, the Turkish foreign minister said.

An intergovernmental agreement between the five Nabucco host nations -- Austria, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania -- is set for signing during a July 13 meeting in Ankara.

Following meetings with Romanian officials in Bucharest, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the project was beneficial to the entire region, Turkish daily Today's Zaman reports.

"Nabucco is a project of first priority for us, and it has strategic significance," the Turkish minister said. "I believe it will make serious contributions to the European energy sector."

Nabucco would travel some 2,050 miles to bring about 1.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas each year to European customers from Caspian and Middle Eastern suppliers.

The project has faced a series of setbacks due to supply concerns and from Turkish bargaining for a 15 percent share of the gas from Nabucco.

Russian officials, meanwhile, had urged Turkey to join onto their Nabucco rival, South Stream. Davutoglu, however, denied South Stream, which could bring Russian natural gas to southern Europe, was an alternative to the heralded Nabucco pipeline.

"On the contrary, these projects contribute to the development of the energy sector," he said.