EU Energy Security and Turkey’s Contribution to the Southern Energy Corridor

The European Union should consider Turkey a core actor for implementing the Southern Energy Corridor that will serve Europe’s main energy security strategy: diversification of routes and suppliers of energy. At the same time, the EU should pay attention not only to Ankara’s sensitive bilateral relations with the countries along the corridor but also with others that can influence the operation of this corridor, mainly Russia. The quality of relations among Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Greece, Russia, and the EU should be considered of fundamental importance for the implementation of such a project. An analysis of these relations sheds light on policymakers’ options.