Hasan Alsancak, Stratim Advisory Board Member for Energy Security and Energy Security Director of BTC Co. Turkey, made a presentation titled as “Pipeline Security and Turkey” under the scope of “Fall School: Developing Foreign Policy on Energy Issues” organised by Netherlands Institute for Higher Education NIHAnkara on September 28 - October 1, 2009.
Hasan Alsancak stressed that Turkey has recently increased its strategic importance in the region as a transit country through which major oil and natural gas pipelines (approximately 15.000km), particularly Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, pass. Regarding the planned pipelines in Turkey's territory, Hasan Alsancak pointed out that the security of pipelines and energy will obviously be of crucial importance for Turkey in near future.
Besides Turkey having strategic advantages of being a transit country of both oil and natural gas trade, Turkey needs to recognise its responsibilities as well, Hasan Alsancak added. Securing international pipelines passing through its territory according to the relevant agreements is among the major responsibilities of Turkey.
Regarding the terrorist groups and security issues in Turkey, Hasan Alsancak indicated that the most important security threats to pipelines are found out to be terrorism and illegal tapping from the pipelines. Problems concerning the security of critical energy infrastructures are not only limited to infrastructure security, but also these problems might cause loss of human lives, environmental disasters and loss of billion dollars.
Besides Hasan Alsancak, Sedat Laçiner (International Strategic Research Organisation-USAK, Director), Osman Göksel (BTC and Nabucco Projects Director), Serhat Keleser (IGDAS/UGETAM General Manager), Meliha Altunisik (METU, Head of the Department of International Relations), Pinar Ipek (Bilkent University, Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations), Sencer Imer (Hacettepe University, Strategic Research Center, Member of the Executive Board), Mete Göknel (BOTAS, Former General Manager), Cenk Pala (E.ON Ruhrgas Turkey General Manager), Hüseyin Yakar (TPAO, Head of the Department of Strategy), and Paul Meerts (Clingendael Institute, Member of the Executive Board) have contributed to the “Fall School: Developing Foreign Policy on Energy Issues” organised by Netherlands Institute for Higher Education NIHAnkara.
