Ankara, Moscow resume talks on Turkish Stream

By Azernews

By Gunay Hasanova

Russia’s strategic energy project Turkish Stream could soon be revived amid the improving ties between Ankara and Moscow.

Turkey and Russia have started negotiations to resume the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, said Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak in his interview with TRT Haber news channel.

The minister believes the relations between Ankara and Moscow will return to their previous, pre-crisis level.

Albayrak said the normalization of bilateral relations will benefit both countries.

The Turkish Stream pipeline is intended to deliver gas from the Russian Black Sea coast to Turkey and on to Greece. The project was to replace the abandoned South Stream pipeline through Bulgaria.

The project was suspended in late 2015 due to the dispute between Moscow and Ankara after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in Syria.

During a meeting on August 9, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to resume the implementation of the Turkish Stream project.

Initially, Russia’s Gazprom wanted to deliver 63 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Later the capacity was cut to 32 billion cubic meters. Turkey would take about 14 billion cubic meters, with the rest going to Europe.

 he pipeline intends to strengthen Turkey’s position as an important regional hub. The country’s main gas consumers are located in northwest Turkey and the project would improve the reliability of supplies to that region