Turkish Water, Caspian Energy: A National Security Priority for Israel and the West

On May 30th, at the Sheraton Jerusalem Plaza Hotel, the Institute for Advanced Strategic & Political Studies held a daylong symposium focusing on the regional and strategic dimension of the importation of Turkish water to Israel and Caspian oil and gas for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Among the speakers at the IASPS symposium were Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure Avigdor Lieberman; Minister of Regional Cooperation Tsippi Livni; Deputy Minister of National Infrastructure (water) Naomi Blumenthal; deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Office Dr. Yuri Stern; His Excellency Ahmet Uzumcu, Turkish ambassador to Israel; and Paul Michael Wihbey, Strategic Fellow at IASPS. Of signal importance were the remarks of Minister Lieberman who declared, "It is especially important to secure an external source of water…. [T]he option to import Turkish water is the quickest solution to Israel's water problems."

IASPS is pleased to note that in the week following the symposium, Prime Minister Sharon was invited to visit Turkey. Turkish authorities have announced measures to provide security at the Manavgat Water Extraction Plant that would yield close to 45 million cubic meters of fresh water to Israel. Sharon accepted the invitation.

In the coming months we look forward to updating this information as we see ourselves playing a key role in the development of this policy strengthening ties between these two countries and creating a new strategic framework for the region.

Conference Schedule

Turkish Water, Caspian Energy:
A National Security Priority For Israel and the West 

09:00       GREETINGS: Zev Golan, Director, IASPS, Jerusalem 

09:05       OPENING REMARKS: Israel-Turkish Cooperation,
Dr. Yuri Stern, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office   

09:15-10:30         FIRST SESSION: Energy in the Caspian Region
Chairman, P. Michael Wihbey, Fellow in Strategy, IASPS, 
Washington, D.C.

Remarks: 
                  A. Necdet Pamir, Director, Technology and Energy 
Affairs Department, Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies
(ASAM), Ankara

                  Dr. Jayhun Mollazade, President, U.S.-Azerbaijan
Council, Washington, D.C.

GUEST OF HONOR

10:00         Avigdor Lieberman, Minister of National Infrastructure

10:45-12:15  SECOND SESSION: Water Scarcity & Regional Solutions 
Chairman, Daniela Green, Koret Fellow, IASPS, Jerusalem

Remarks: 
                  Dr. Ali Ihsan Bagis, Director, Hydropolitics and Strategic
Research and Development Center; International Relations
Department, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

                  MK Eliezer Cohen, Knesset Science Committee

                  Boaz Wachtel, Expert on options for solutions to Mideast
 water problems

                  Ilan Berman, Contributing Analyst, IASPS Strategic Division;
Fellow, American Foreign Policy Council

                 GUESTS OF HONOR

12:30         The Honorable Ahmet Uzumcu, Ambassador of Turkey

13:00         Minister Tsippi Livni, Minister for Regional Cooperation

13:30         CLOSING REMARKS:  P. Michael Wihbey, IASPS

Press Coverage

Lieberman backs plan to import Turkish Water, Ha'aretz, May 31, 2001

The Trouble with Coal, Ha'aretz, June 3, 2001

Photos