Yesterday in Istanbul high-ranking officials from 20 countries held emotional discussions on Iran, Afghan drug trafficking and the conflict in the Middle East. Apart from international politics, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had been strictly involved in economic problems and was late for the summit just as was its host and his counterpart Recep Tayiip Erdogan.
The azure skies of sunny Turkey, the blossoming embankment of the Bosporus Strait and the famous bridge uniting Europe and Asia were supposed to be the background for the third summit of the Asian 20.
The first surprise came from the weather. The pelting rain concealed the opposite coast and a light storm flashed through the Bosporus. A bit later terrorists made their contribution by detonating a bomb near a police bus in Istanbul's Buyukcekmece area.
Immediately after that Turkish President Abdullah Gül barred the press from all sessions of yesterday's summit.
Early in the morning Putin met his Turkish colleague and friend Erdogan. The joint breakfast was productive and resulted in two documents. First, Rostekhnadzor (the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision) and the Turkish Atomic Energy Agency signed an agreement on licensing and supervising nuclear safety. Second, both parties concluded an agreement on ensuring the safety of Russian tourists in Turkey and vice versa.
Putin himself told the press about the discussion during the breakfast. Naturally, they could not ignore the international gas projects. At this point Putin suggested reassessing Blue Stream-2 without Israel's participation.
"We viewed this project as an additional opportunity to supply gas to the growing Turkish market and to transport it to third countries, including Israel, Syria and Lebanon. But based on the latest information, Israel has found gas on its own shelf and it simply does not need it. So, there is no point in extending Blue Stream to Israel. As for supplies to other countries, they can be reviewed. It is necessary to reassess the project."
Putin also mentioned the just signed Azerbaijan-Turkish agreement on the Shakh-Deniz-2 gas deposit but did not note any threats as a result.
"As for Nabucco, if someone assesses its economic feasibility and it proves out, let it be; but gas from Azerbaijan alone will not fill this pipe," Putin concluded.
Putin and Erdogan joined the summit after a small delay, when the press session had already been stopped. But Izvestia found out what took place behind the closed doors. Putin took the floor after Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and instantly set forth Russia's position on Iran's nuclear programme. He urged Asian leaders to resolve this issue at the negotiating table with the involvement of all interested parties and due consideration for their interests. This appeal was timely because the voting on a new draft of the UN Security Council resolution toughening sanctions against Iran is scheduled for today, June 9.
"President Ahmadinejad is well aware that we are completing the construction of the atomic power plant in Bushehr. It will be launched in August. At the same time we believe that we must act together with Iran's most active participation in order to remove any doubts as to the nature of its nuclear programme," Putin said.
Anastasia Savinykh
