Page 13 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES: THEORY AND PRACTICE, V.72, # 1, 2015, pp. 5-26

− Guneshli oil field in the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea via Tbilisi, the capital

of Georgia was introduced in 2005 and became a succesfull step in this direction.

Another strategically important 3500-km-long pipeline is called The Trans Anatolian

Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and it can be used to transport gas from the second

phase of the Shah Deniz gas field to Greece already in 2019. To implement the project

Turkey may use the experience it gained during the construction of the gas pipeline

Baku−Tbilisi − Erzerum, which became operational in 2006 [14].

On the other hand, Turkey is deeply interested in Iranian gas because of the

geographic proximity and huge resources of the supplier. 2577 kilometers long

pipeline Tabriz-Ankara was completed in 2001 and soon the «blue fuel» started to

flow towards central regions of the country. Iran is the second-largest supplier of

natural gas to Turkey only behind Russia. But the price of this commodity is high,

since Turkish importers pay 490 dollars per 1000 m3 of it − 155 dollars more than

for gas from Azerbaijan and 55 dollars more than for gas from Russia. On the other

hand, situated in the arid zone and surrounded by mountains Iran remains the prime

consumer of agricultural goods − grains, olives, tobacco, oranges and lemons and

Turkey buys instead Iranian dry fruits and shafran. Turkish companies also exports

textiles, machinery, chemicals and steel. Crude oil and natural gas dominate in

Iranian export with 90 per cent of the share and its importance may grow in case

when both contries decide to build in Turkey several power plants, designed to

consume Iranian gas. The trade turnover between both countries constituted 14.6

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