EU's Anti-Russia Sanctions to Blame for Energy Crisis Raging in Europe, Erdogan Says

Ankara has managed to avoid the worst of the gas crisis pummeling its European Union neighbors, with Turkish media boasting that even the most vulnerable Turks today are spending just a third of what they were in 2002 on monthly energy bills. The Turkish government has managed to keep gas prices low thanks to long-term contracts with Russia.

Brussels is to blame for the energy crisis wreaking havoc on Europe as it prepares for winter, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested.

“Europe is reaping what it has sown. Europe’s attitude toward Mr. Putin and its sanctions [on Russia] have inevitably led Mr. Putin to this situation…I think Europe will spend this winter facing serious problems. Turkey, on the other hand, has no problems with gas deliveries,” Erdogan said, speaking at a press conference in Ankara on Tuesday.

Spot prices for natural gas in Europe jumped by nearly 30 percent on Monday, topping $2,850 per 1,000 cubic meters following the cessation of supplies via Nord Stream – the last major Russian gas pipeline that remained operational after the shutoff of other routes of supply thanks to restrictions imposed by Brussels and by individual nations including Poland and Ukraine.

Turkey has managed to avoid the worst of the fallout from the gas crunch, with Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak reporting last month that residents of Ankara enjoy gas prices cheaper than those in any European capital – equivalent to 4.68 liras (about 25 eurocents) per cubic meter of the clean blue fuel. By comparison, residents of London are shelling out the equivalent of 1.96 euros, Athenians 1.82 euros, residents of Sofia 1.45 euros, and the people of Zagreb 0.56 euros.

In August, Turkey announced a switch of part of its payments for Russian gas to rubles.

Russia accounts for about 45 percent of Turkey’s natural gas supplies and about 25 percent of its oil. As Turkey’s EU partners slapped restrictions on Russian energy supplies and sought to wean themselves off oil, coal, gas and electricity sourced from their eastern neighbor, Ankara has refused to follow suit, saying it would continue to expand cooperation with Moscow on energy matters.

In addition to hydrocarbons, Turkey has also pledged cooperation with Russia on nuclear energy, with Russian nuclear giant Rosatom announcing in July that the first reactor of the 4,800MW nuclear plant being built at Akkuyu, southern Turkey would be completed in 2023. Once up and running, the plant is expected to provide Turkey with up to 10 percent of its electricity.