Turkey, Israel consider joint gas pipeline

Turkey and Israel on Thursday discussed the possibility of piping Israeli natural gas to Turkey and Europe, as the two countries move to restore ties damaged over the past six years.

"We decided to establish a dialogue between our governments and the two ministries to examine the possibility of such project," Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said at a press conference following a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Berat Albayrak, in Istanbul.

Steinitz said the project will enable Israel to bring natural gas to Turkey and further to Europe.

He said his country is also mulling exporting natural gas to Jordan, Egypt and building a pipeline that goes through Cyprus to Greece.

"But the Turkish option is very important," the minister added.

The meeting between the two ministers on the sidelines of the 23rd World Energy Congress marked the first at a ministerial level, as their countries are set to return ambassadors after a six-year hiatus sparked by an Israeli raid on a Turkish ship in 2010, in which 10 Turks were killed.

"I came here on behalf of the Israeli people, who are eager to see peace and stability in the region and good cooperation between Turkey and Israel," said Steinitz.

The Israeli and Turkish ministers discussed the pipeline project three days after Turkey and Russia signed a deal on delivering Russian gas to Turkey and possibly to Europe through the Black Sea during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Istanbul.

Israel boasts a capacity to export 350 billion cubic meters of gas and a potential to produce more, Steinitz said in late June. Endit