Turkey excludes gas pipeline with Israel in meeting with Konrad Mizzi

Turkish Minister Taner Yildiz excludes energy cooperation with Israel during a meeting in which his Maltese counterpart Konrad Mizzi was reported expressing "sympathy" for Gaza.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said Turkey would not work alongside Israel on energy while attacks are taking place in Gaza.

Taner Yildiz was addressing a press conference following a meeting with Maltese Minister Konrad Mizzi.

Italian news agency Ansa reported Maltese Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi saying that “the international community and Malta felt sympathy with Gaza”.

He also said Palestine’s energy shortage had been discussed by European Union energy ministers last month.

Speaking at a press conference in Ankara on Monday, Yildiz excluded the development of  natural gas pipeline between Israel and Europe, via Turkey.

He said: "An energy project's economic feasibility is also important as its political feasibility and now, if we build a natural gas pipeline between Israel and Turkey, innocent children's blood would flow from this pipeline."

Israel has been working on several different alternatives in order to transport and commercialize its newly discovered gas reserves. Turkey would have been an alternative route for Israel to transportation gas to Europe and several different locations in the world, however, the relations between the two countries have deteriorated since the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010.

Leviathan, discovered in 2010 and located on Israel’s Mediterranean coast, is the world’s largest offshore gas discovery in the past decade and it is expected to provide the country with greater energy independence.

In September 2013  the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), one of the shareholders of the new power station in Delimara proposed construction of a gas pipeline from Israel to Turkey under the sea.

The initiative was offered to Turkey by Matthew Bryza, US ex-Ambassador to Azerbaijan and currently a high-ranking SOCAR official.

During a visit by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in October 2013 Malta discussed cooperation with Israel in the energy, water conservation and health sectors.