Turkey agrees to supply Georgia electricity

Reuters ^ | 8/8/08 | Orhan Coskun

[a_Turk]

ANKARA, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Turkey has agreed to a request from neighbour Georgia to supply the country with electricity amid the conflict in the breakaway South Ossetia region, a senior Turkish Energy Ministry source told Reuters on Friday.

Russia sent forces into Georgia on Friday to repel a Georgian assault on the breakaway region and Georgia's pro-Western president said the two countries were at war.

"Under an agreement, Turkey was receiving electricity from Georgia until last night. But after the latest developments Georgia requested 30-40 MW (megawatts) of electricity," the ministry source said.

"We gave a positive response," he said.

Under the power agreement between the two countries, the neighbours supply or receive electricity depending on fluctuating demand.

Turkey and Georgia have limited trade links but last month they launched a railway project together with Azerbaijan, building on links forged by gas and oil piplines across the region.

[a_Turk]

Old map, all pipelines now operational. Note the dashed pipeline to the north is an old one running through Chechnya.



Here's a map that shows how crucial bases in the Caucasus are to Russia's projection of power over the middle east and long coveted Anatolia (Turkey).

Here's a link to where I got the above map.

[Grzegorz 246]

Eastern European ping list

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[neb52]

What is Turkey’s stance on this? If Russia takes the ground war outside of South Ossetia what would be Turkey’s response?

[SolidWood]

The Turks would logically support Georgia for two reasons:

1)The pipeline

2)Their Kurdish unrest forbids them to support separatism next door.

I have issues with the Turks regarding their stance on Iraq... but I salute them for standing with Georgia in the most dire hour. Thank you Turkey.

[Sal]

Very good news, a_Turk. Thank you.

[Cicero]

Good for them.

[kinghorse]

Is this a move in anticipation of grabbing as much of northern Iran as possible following a decap strike (by Israel) and/or retaliatory invasion by the USA into Iran? I wonder.

[nikos1121]

Russia has basically no GNP. It is another third world country with nukes.

I would hope we are providing them with intelligence pinpointing exactly where the Russians are.

Remember, they got their noses bloodied in Afghanistan, and figured that we would too.

What should the USA do if they put strategic bombers in Cuba capable of carrying nuclear weapons?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

That map causes me a lot of meditation.....