Turkey: Ankara Endorses Nabucco Pipeline Deal

The Turkish parliament has ratified a 2008 agreement with European Union states on the construction of the Nabucco gas pipeline, a strategic project designed to help Europe diversify its energy needs and unclench Moscow's grip on Caspian Sea energy exports.

Bulgaria and Hungary have already ratified the deal; it now awaits Austria and Romania's legislative approval, news agencies reported.

The 3,300-kilometer-long pipeline is expected to carry up to 31 billion cubic meters of Caspian natural gas per year to Europe. At this stage, Azerbaijan is considered the only realistic supplier for the pipeline, but project stakeholders hope to use the conduit to find a way to tap into Central Asia's ample gas reserves as well.

Despite skepticism about the size of Azerbaijan's gas reserves, Baku repeatedly has said that it alone is capable of filling the pipeline to capacity.