If Europe wants diversity in energy sources, Turkey's role should not be overlooked, says Energy Minister Yildiz

ISTANBUL (A.A) - November 17, 2011 - Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz said Thursday that if Europe wanted diversity in energy sources and routes, Turkey's role and importance should not be overlooked. Speaking at the Third Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum organized by the Atlantic Council in Istanbul, Yildiz said that the Forum was a crucial effort to bring together politicians and leaders of the business world and to facilitate discussions on economy and energy. In today's world, the security of energy supply has become a topic talked simultaneously with topics such as foreign policy, national security and global stability. Mutual interdependence in energy has increased in recent years, Yildiz said. The Black Sea is one of the most important regions of the world when it comes to energy, Yildiz said. The Black Sea is crucial for Europe's natural gas needs and as a route utilized by Eurasian natural gas producers, Yildiz said. This region has a great potential that attracts the attention of producers, carriers and consumers, Yildiz said. Turkey is the neighbor of a region that has 65 percent of all oil reserves and 71 percent of all natural gas reserves in the world. Turkey is a bridge between the energy producers of the Caspian Sea, Central Asia and Middle East and the consumers in Europe, Yildiz said. In order to protect the energy supplies to Turkey and its partners, Turkey pursued a multi-dimensional energy policy, Yildiz said. Out of six countries that border the Black Sea, four of them have nuclear power plants. Only Turkey and Georgia do not have nuclear power plants. Out of 442 nuclear power plants in the world, 51 are in the Black Sea countries. In such a photograph, nothing could be more natural for Turkey to plan to have nuclear power plants for its own energy security, Yildiz also said.