Energy Working Group Held Its First Meeting on "European Energy Security and Turkey".

The first meeting of the Energy Working Group, established by the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), TOBB University of Economics and Technology, and London Information Network on Conflict and State Building (LINKS) took place on March 23, 2007 in TOBB University of Economics and Technology. The theme of the meeting was "European Energy Security and Turkey".
The working group brought together people from the world of academia, bureaucracy, business and press. Opening remarks of Mr. Dannis Sammut, director of LINKS and Prof. Mustafa Aydin, Director of International Politics Research Institute (IPRI) were followed by presentations of three speakers. Energy expert Mr. Mehmet Ogutcu approached the energy security issue from an international oil company perspective, while Mr. Mehmet Ulu, Director of strategy department of National Oil and Natural Gas Company of Turkey (TPAO) provided a national oil company view. Mr. Richard Marriot, a senior economist from the United Kingdom, Department of Trade and Industry, focused on the role that Turkey can play as an energy trading hub in the gas sector. The participants discussed different aspects of energy security in a roundtable format during the final stage of the meeting.

The second meeting of the Energy Security Group will take place on April 27, 2007 in Ankara.