The most feasible option for natural gas transmission from the East Mediterranean to Europe is through Turkey’s pipeline network, Oded Eran, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University and Israel's former Ambassador to Jordan and the EU told Anadolu Agency (AA).
"The various conflicts, including the 12-year rift between Turkey and Israel, prevented the exploration of this option and made Israel look for alternatives, Eran said in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency.
However, Eran said the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and sanctions against Russia have allowed the Turkish option to resurface and discussions between the presidents of Turkey and Israel could well kickstart the necessary study on this option.
While acknowledging that the combined available gas quantities from Israel and Egypt are not in themselves sufficient to replace Russia as a supplier to Europe, nonetheless, he said they could help mitigate any abrupt shortages.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Turkey on Wednesday, the first by an Israeli head of state in many years, is seen as a step towards moving from a period of strained ties to improved bilateral relations.
Following a joint news conference with Herzog, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the goal between the two countries is to revive bilateral political dialogue based on common interests.
Erdogan stressed the importance of energy security in the wake of the recent regional developments and called for cooperation in energy projects.
Israel has held previous talks on gas exports to Turkey, which did not come to fruition.
Eran questioned the political and economic feasibility of a joint gas pipeline project between Turkey and Israel, given the risks in the politically charged region.
"The various commercial players involved will have to be ensured against political risks in a region fraught with several conflicts and they will have to be guaranteed that there will be a timely return on their investments. These are complicated issues and there are no easy answers to several political hurdles," he warned.
But he was more optimistic of Turkey’s role as a link between the East Mediterranean and North Africa, which he deemed are the best regional options for the development of solar energy.
He also advised that cooperation between Turkey and the East Mediterranean gas-producing countries to promote blue hydrogen as an energy bridging resource would be beneficial in the 30-to-40-year window from now to a full transition to renewables.