Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.3
By - Trend:
Russia and Turkey have started the technical implementation of the Turkish stream project, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkey in Russia Umit Yardim said Feb.3, RIA Novosti news agency reported.
"There are many problems to be solved within the framework of this project," he said. "There are questions that need to be worked at, in particular, how exactly the pipeline will be laid. Both the Russian and the Turkish sides started implementation of the technical part of the project, the cooperation will be continued. Obtaining permission is an insignificant element of this work until the final decisions are made."
He said that Turkey considers energy cooperation with Russia "as an extremely important cooperation."
Russia in early December announced the cancellation of the South Stream pipeline project, which should pass along the bottom of the Black Sea and deliver fuel to the Balkan republics, as well as Hungary, Austria and Italy through Bulgaria. The project was abandoned due to the non-constructive position of the European Union as well. Instead, it was decided to build a pipeline to Turkey and create a gas hub on the border with Greece for Southern European consumers.
Gazprom and Turkish company Botas have identified a new route of the pipeline - it will pass 660 kilometers by the route along which South Stream pipeline was planned to be laid, and 250 kilometers in a new corridor in the direction of the European part of Turkey.
Intergovernmental agreement on the pipeline is planned to be signed during the second quarter of 2015 and the first gas is planned to be supplied in December 2016.