Turkey Emerges as Key Energy Transit Hub as EU Diversifies Gas Supplies, Jamestown Says

The recent announcement on energy cooperation between Turkey and the European Union comes as the EU pivots towards reducing dependence on Russian natural gas and securing diverse supply sources, according to the think tank Jamestown in a Thursday note. Europe is "desperately" trying to reduce its energy dependence on Russian natural gas and diversify its supply by turning to regional actors such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, Central Asia, and the Middle East," analysts said. The renewed cooperation follows a series of high-level meetings in June. This includes German Energy Minister Katherina Reiche's visit to Ankara for the Turkish-German Energy Forum and discussions between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and senior European Union officials on trade, energy, and security cooperation Analysts said Turkey is fast emerging as an important source of supply, as it is an "important transit country" connecting the EU with "gas-rich" sources such as Azerbaijan, Iran, and Iraq. "For Ankara, such a stance in Europe enables it to realize its long-held goals of becoming the key transit country for European and regional states in energy contracts," analysts said. Jamestown noted that.