Guler in Egypt for energy talks

The issue of energy cooperation was taken up during a February visit by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Ankara. The president said that a number of projects entailing cooperation in the field of natural gas and electricity were under discussion.

Guler, accompanied by the director-general of the Turkish state-owned pipeline company BOTAS, Mehmet Bilgic, held talks with Egypt’s Oil Minister Samih Fahmi in Cairo.

The project to transport Egyptian natural gas to Turkey has been in the air for a long time.

Turkey and Egypt in 2000 signed a memorandum of understanding expressing the two countries’ willingness to cooperate in the field of energy. Following that memorandum, the two sides exchanged technical delegation visits, although they have produced no concrete agreement to date.

The Turkish market is already nearly saturated with Russian and Iranian gas. But in an effort to transport what could turn into excessive amounts of natural gas to neighboring European markets, Turkey signed an agreement with Greece last year to link the pipeline networks of the two countries.

An agreement between Turkey and Egypt on the transfer of natural gas would make Turkey an energy bridge between the Middle East and Europe, given the pipeline deal with Greece.

Guler was scheduled to return late on Wednesday following the conclusion of his talks.