NATO seeks to guarantee Central Asia oil resources

Istanbul, 15th May 2006 - NATO is preparing to take over a new role in relation to the energy resources in Central Asia whose importance is rising after the natural gas tension between Russia and Ukraine and the present Iranian crisis.

According to NATO official Peter Kovacs the Alliance is looking for its place and role for guaranteeing Central Asia energy resources. There is, in this respect, collaboration between NATO and the trio Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey over new strategies, said Kovacs.

NATO looks at Kazakhstan as a base for the provision of security for energy, said Kovacs, and added that there has been recent progress in the exchange of information with Russian officials and pointed to Turkey as the single country with excellent prospects in the region.