ANKARA, Turkey, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Turkish officials acknowledged Wednesday they could create an energy link to India through the Mediterranean Sea and the Israeli port of Ashkelon.
Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said in a televised news conference Wednesday that he was pushing for a plan to transport oil from the Caspian Sea to India and Asia, the Platts news agency said.
The plans include developing the Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline around the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. A second pipeline from the Turkish port of Ceyhan would travel to Ashkelon, where tankers would deliver oil to India and other Asian markets.
The energy minister said the developments may include establishing a link to the multipurpose Med Stream project that involves oil, water, electrical and fiberoptic arteries throughout the region.
"A preliminary study has been completed, and we're continuing talks over conducting a full feasibility study (on the project)," he said.
India is struggling to meet its domestic energy demands, and plans to bring natural gas from Iran through the planned Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline continue to falter.
