Even more significantly, Ankara gave a green light to Iranian gas exports to Europe through the Nabucco gas pipeline which runs from Turkey to Austria.
Still, Russia sees the EU as a competitor in its sphere of influence and reacts fiercely to any interference, such as Belarus being told that recognising South Ossetia and Abkhazia would hurt its prospects with the EU. That the summit was followed by a conference on Nabucco, a gas pipeline meant to bypass Russia in the south, was just another irritation.
During the debate on 20 January 2011 MEPs debated issues including economic growth and energy issues, such as the proposed Nabucco pipeline to bring gas from Turkey to Austria.
There is new interest in Nabucco, a pipeline to bring gas from Central Asia and the Caspian to Europe via Turkey.
If an agreeable-seeming Gazprom, along with increased bullishness about LNG and shale gas, were to dampen European enthusiasm for Nabucco, a long-planned pipeline which might bring 30bcm of gas a year to Europe from the Caspian and the Middle East, that would suit Russia pretty well.
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It has opened major gas pipelines to China and Iran, and is considering taking part in the Nabucco pipeline - an EU-backed project designed to provide an alternative to Russian gas supplies to Europe.
Mr Davutoglu points proudly to the recent signing of an agreement between Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria on the Nabucco pipeline that is meant to carry gas through these countries, reducing Europe's dependence on Russia.
The Nabucco pipeline was supposed to bypass both Iran and Russia and increase instead gas exports from the former Soviet republics to Europe.
The "new Europeans" from the east are pushing the EU to get serious about developing new sources of energy -- starting with the stalled Nabucco pipeline that would cross Turkey and the Balkans, routing Central Asian gas around Russia.
Nabucco, a trans-Balkan pipeline which aims to bring Middle Eastern and Central Asian gas to Europe via Turkey's excellent gas infrastructure, will be at the heart of the power struggle.
Bulgaria is also involved in two rival gas pipeline projects: Russia's South Stream pipeline and the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline.
January's gas supply hiatus between Russia and Ukraine makes it more likely that the EU-sponsored Nabucco pipeline will be built, though it will be 2015 at the earliest before it enters service.
But while Nabucco could supply Europe with gas from Azerbaijan, it would not help Turkmenistan, which would also need a pipeline under the Caspian if it is to bypass Russia and Iran.
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