What's at Stake for Whom

Turkey At a Glance: CIA map Turkey's strategic location makes it a natural "energy bridge" between major oil producing areas in the Middle East and Caspian Sea regions on the one hand, and consumer markets in Europe on the other. Turkey's port of Ceyhan is an important outlet both for current Iraqi oil exports as well as for potential future Caspian oil exports. Turkey's Bosporus Straits are a major shipping "choke point" between the Black and Mediterranean Seas. Finally, Turkey is a rapidly growing energy consumer in its own right. Oil and gas transportation is a crucial and contentious issue in Central Asia. Turkey and the United States have been pressing for a "Western route" pipeline that would carry oil from Azerbaijan's port of Baku through Azerbaijan and Georgia and then across Turkey to Ceyhan, at an estimated cost of US$1.8-$4 billion. This would be a major part of the proposed "Eurasian Corridor" to bring Caspian oil and gas to international markets via Turkey, and to bypass Russia and Iran. Russia, on the other hand, is promoting a "Northern route" across the Caucasus to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. From there, oil would be transported through the Bosporus (which Turkey claims is too crowded already, and a potential danger to Istanbul) or via a proposed pipeline from Bulgaria to Greece and the rest of Europe. Other proposals include a pipeline to Georgia's Black Sea port of Supsa, and a swap arrangement with, or export pipeline through, Iran. Population: 66,493,970 (July 2001 est.) Industries: Textiles, food processing, autos, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper Energy Production: 28.406 million tons of coal equivalent Energy Exports: 6.3 percent of production Energy Consumption: 78.56 million tons of coal equivalent Energy Imports: 73.8 percent of consumption Annual Growth in Demand: 4 percent Sources: Economist Intelligence Unit, U.S. Department of Energy Newspapers Online: In English: Turkish Daily News, Ankara In Turkish (partial list): Akit, Ankara Aksam, Istanbul Bilgisayar Gazetesi, Istanbul Dünya (focused on international news), Istanbul Günes (conservative), Istanbul Hürriyet (independent), Istanbul Milliyet (liberal-reformist), Istanbul Zaman (Islamist), Istanbul