MOSCOW, April 8. /TASS/. Greece is interested in building a gas pipeline stretch from the border with Turkey as part of the Moscow-proposed Turkish Stream gas project, Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
"Projects of such a scope create possibilities for stabilizing and strengthening security in the region as a whole," Tsipras said. "We believe this will help improve relations with Turkey."
"I drew the Russian president’s attention to the fact that Greece is interested in studying possibilities and investment initiatives for the purpose of building a natural gas pipeline from the border between Greece and Turkey to the Greek territory to cover our country’s energy requirements, and also for the purpose of energy security, always complying with the legislation of both Greece and the EU," Tsipras said.
This project "meets the interests of strengthening the republic’s energy security while complying both with the legislation of Greece and the European Union," the Greek premier said.
"We’ll thoroughly study the details of this project in the near future," Tsipras said.
The Russian president said Greece’s participation in the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project intended to bring Russian natural gas to Europe via Turkey would allow the Hellenic Republic to become a major European gas distribution center.
"The new route will cover Europeans’ requirements for fuel and allow Greece to become a major energy distribution center on the continent, help raise considerable investment in the economy and create additional jobs," the Russian president said.
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Russian President Putin announced on December 1 the project to build the South Stream gas pipeline was closed due to the European Union’s unconstructive approach to cooperation in that sphere, including Bulgaria’s decision to stop the construction of the pipeline’s stretch on its territory.
Instead, Russia will build a gas pipeline to Turkey where a gas hub on the border with Europe will be created, Putin said.
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.
