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Turkish Stream interesting for all project participants — Turkey’s foreign economic board

A feasibility study should be completed before talking about concrete investments in the project

ANTALIA, April 22. /TASS/. Turkey has big interest in the Moscow-led project to build the Turkish Stream gas pipeline to deliver Russian natural gas to Europe, Chairman of Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board Omer Cihad Vardan said on Wednesday.

"Now it is perfectly clear that this project is extremely important for both Turkey and Russia and all the countries that will receive gas through it in future," Vardan told TASS news agency at the Turkish-Russian business forum in Antalya.

The forum was organized by the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board and Russia’s Export Insurance Agency.

"Turkish companies have the will and desire to participate in it," Vardan said, adding the project participants should study the prospects of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline in detail.

"Before the project is finally specified, it is hard to talk about the participation of Turkish investors in it. Before speaking about specific companies that will or will be able to participate in the gas pipeline construction, we need to understand how much this project can be practically implemented. A feasibility study should be completed first, after which we’ll be able to talk about further prospects," he said.

Turkey has positively responded to Russia’s proposal to lay a gas pipeline across the Black Sea to the Turkish shore where a gas hub on the border with Europe is expected to be built.

Turkish officials have said the project implementation meets Turkey’s strategic plans to turn into a major regional hydrocarbon transit country. At the same time, Turkey has not yet made any specific decision on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project and continues studying its technical and economic details.

The Turkish Stream gas pipeline will have a capacity of 63 billion cubic meters, of which 50 billion cubic meters will be supplied to a new gas hub on the Turkish-Greek border.

The Turkish Stream gas pipeline will run 660 km (410 miles) along the old corridor of the South Stream project abandoned by Russia and 250 km (155 miles) in the new corridor towards Turkey’s European part.