AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA, TURKEY, UKRAINE AGREE ON DIVERSITY

These relatively small nations have relatively great power in the energy future of the world. Unless the world finds better sources of energy than their oil and gas.

Energy Supplier Presidents Want Diversity
Ben Lando and Krishnadev Calamur, June 26, 2007 (UPI)

WHO
Ukraine President Victor Yushchenko, Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili, AzErbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Turkey President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
pipeline Ukraine (click to enlarge

WHAT
The 4 leaders stressed energy cooperation and diversification away from dependence on Russian energy supplies.

WHEN
- Conference was June 25-27, 2007.
- Russia cut off gas to Ukraine in January, 2006. It got special access to Belarus pipelines in 2007.
- In defiance of Russia, Georgia paid higher prices for Azerbaijan gas in December, 2006.

WHERE
Cambridge Energy Research Associates' "East Meets West: New Frontiers of Energy Security" conference in Istanbul, Turkey.

WHY
- Nobody mentions Russia by name because everybody needs Russia’s oil and gas but nobody trusts Russia anymore since the Putin government began using Gazprom natural gas supplies to manipulate prices (example: Ukraines) or obtain special deals on pipelines passing through client states, especially former Soviet states (example: Belarus).
- Turkey, the world's leading petroleum transit country, proposed diversification of pipeline developments via producer-country investment to create alternatives to Russian supplies.
pipeline Turkey (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Yushchenko: "Issues of energy…are vital to us all…The rules should be unified and just. Then they will be secure for all the sides of the process…The fundamental principles are openness and transparency of the energy market…"
- Saakashvili: "Energy diversification is not just about competition or zero sum game..We need win-win game in that field."
- Aliyev: "The security of our neighbor, of our partner, is our security…"
- Sezer: "Everyone has a share of responsibility in finding peaceful solutions to instabilities…"