Moscow not blocking Nabucco

ANKARA, Turkey, July 22 (UPI) -- Russia will not interfere with European energy initiatives, including Nabucco, but feasibility should be considered when examining diversity, officials said.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin met with Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz in Ankara to discuss bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.

Yildiz said the effort was aimed at establishing the foundation for deals on the South Stream gas pipeline to Europe and extensions to the Blue Stream project, the Xinhua news service reports.

Moscow and Ankara in 2005 proposed a second leg of the Blue Stream gas pipeline, which can supply markets in the Middle East. South Stream, meanwhile, is a Russian-backed gas pipeline for southeastern Europe.

Both projects are considered rivals to the $10.3 billion Nabucco pipeline for Europe. Sechin, however, said Moscow would not obstruct Nabucco, but called for a pragmatic assessment of the energy sector.

Nabucco reached a milestone recently with the signing of an intergovernmental agreement in Ankara. Despite political support, however, the project lacks firm supplier and financial commitments.

Sechin said regional energy projects need firm cost, technological and supply initiatives to remain viable.

Ukraine hosts 80 percent of all Russian gas bound for Europe. A January spat between Kiev and Moscow prompted the Russian energy giant to cut gas supplies to Ukraine, creating a need for energy diversity in the region.