Turkey's energy minister said on Thursday that he believed the Nabucco project would be fulfilled.

Energy & Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz said some were saying that problems could occur in Nabucco project related with source, however he believed the project would be fulfilled.

"We should say that source countries also have best interests in this project. If interests do not meet at a common point, this project cannot be fulfilled," Yildiz said during the Black Sea Energy & Economy Forum 2010 in Istanbul.

Nabucco is the new gas bridge from Asia to Europe and the flagship project in the Southern Corridor. It will be a pipeline to connect the world's richest gas regions - the Caspian region, Middle East and Egypt - to the European consumer markets.

The pipeline will link the Eastern border of Turkey, to Baumgarten in Austria - one of the most important gas turntables in Central Europe - via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. When completed the 3,300 km pipeline's annual capacity will be 31 bcm.

The construction of the pipeline is supported by the 2009 Intergovernmental Agreement signed in Ankara in July 2009, which harmonises the legal framework and grants stable and equal transport conditions for all partners and customers.

Construction will start in 2012, with the first gas flowing in 2015.

"Turkey will maintain its positive stance on not only Nabucco but also other pipelines that will transport resources to the West," Yildiz said.

Yildiz said Turkey was determined and serious about investments on energy supply safety in its geography.

On ENTSO-E test studies launched with Greece and Bulgaria in September, Yildiz said production made in France, Spain or Britain could be sold to Turkey technically in coming year.

When Morocco and Algeria were added to the system, the Mediterranean could be turned into a basin, Yildiz said.

The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity's (ENTSO-E) mission is to promote important aspects of energy policy in the face of significant challenges such as security, adequacy, market and sustainability.

Yildiz also referred to the high amount of tankers passing through Turkish Straits, and said around 150-170 million tons of oil and oil products were crossing the Straits right now.

"This figure will be above 200 million tons soon," he said.

Yildiz said Turkey could naturally not prohibit transit from Straits, but could raise barriers, thanks to alternative routes.

The Burgas-Alexandroupolis and Samsun-Ceyhan crude oil pipeline projects were an alternative to the Straits, Yildiz also said.

The Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum (BSEEF) is a unique annual initiative that brings business and policy leaders together to discuss Eurasia's leading economic and energy challenges.

The Atlantic Council's new Eurasia Center in cooperation with its partners in the Black Sea, Caspian and Central Asian Regions, has launched this important initiative in an effort to promote energy security, economic growth and political stability in one of the world's most crucial places. The Forum aims to develop best policy solutions to help the region be a center for economic cooperation, investment and trade.

The 2010 Forum is taking place in Istanbul between September 29 and October 1.