EU and Erdogan: Nabucco Deal in July 2009

Turkish and European Union officials said on Friday they were optimistic agreement could be reached soon on bringing Turkey into the planned Nabucco gas pipeline project.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said after discussions in Brussels that an agreement might be reached before the end of this month but Prime Minsiter Tayyip Erdogan said any deal was unlikely to be signed before July.

"I hope that in July there could be a signing ceremony," Erdogan, who was also in Brussels on a visit intended to breathe new life into its stalled EU accession bid, told reporters.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told a joint news conference with Davutoglu; "We can reasonably be hopeful that we shall see a major step forward in the Nabucco project."

Turkish backing is seen as vital for launching the 31 billion cubic metres per year gas pipeline by 2014 to help relieve Europe's reliance on Russian supplies by bringing in gas from Central Asia.

Turkey, which has few hydrocarbon resources of its own, has said it wants to use 15 percent of the gas pumped through the pipeline in return for assuring transit arrangements.

Turkey's EU affairs minister, Egemen Bagis, said on Thursday he expected a signing cermeony in mid-July.

Copyright 2009 Reuters. All rights reserved.

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