Russian minister: Turkish Stream pipeline becoming more attractive

MOSCOW

REUTERS photo



“Of course, if the cost of transit is higher, as our Ukrainian colleagues say, is will affect the cost of transportation and the final gas price for Turkey’s consumers. Therefore, Turkey is interested in receiving gas directly, bypassing other transit countries,” he said, as quoted by the Russian news agency.



The minister added the project provided for the construction of at least one line of the pipeline with the delivery of 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year. This volume was intended for Turkish consumers.



The Turkish Stream pipeline was announced by Russian authorities in December 2014 as a replacement for the South Stream pipeline. In December 2015, Novak said the Turkish Stream construction project had been put on hold after ties between the two countries became strained following the downing of a Russian jet by Turkey.



President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit Russia on Aug. 9 for his first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin since Moscow and Ankara started to mend ties damaged by the downing of the Russian jet on Nov. 24 last year.



The Turkish Stream gas pipeline construction project “is becoming more attractive” for Turkey and Russia because of the rising cost of gas transit through Ukraine, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on broadcaster Rossiya 24’s Energetics program on July 29, TASS has reported.