Turkey sees energy deals helping its EU ambitions

* Turkey hopes to become key energy corridor

* Analysts say gas deals will not be enough for EU bid

* Ankara demands on Nabucco infuriate some EU members

By Ibon Villelabeitia

ANKARA, May 18 (Reuters) - Energy projects aimed at cutting Europe's dependence on Russian gas such as the Nabucco pipeline may advance Turkey's ambitions to join the European Union.

Predominantly Muslim Turkey, which has little gas or oil reserves of its own, hopes its unique position as a link between the energy-hungry West and the oil-producing east will help it become a key energy corridor for European markets.

The $10 billion Nabucco project -- more than half of which would be located in Turkey -- is the centrepiece of Europe's energy security policy aimed at reducing imports from Russia by providing the region with gas from central Asia.

Turkey hopes Nabucco and other gas projects will boost its troubled bid to join the EU, which has sometimes questioned whether Muslim, poor Turkey belongs to the bloc.