MOSCOW, January 28. /TASS/. Moscow and Ankara have launched expert discussions of sensitive issues related to the security of a planned gas hub, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said in an interview with TASS.

"Joint efforts resulted in [Russian President] Vladimir Putin’s initiative to create a gas hub in Turkey. Experts are currently discussing various aspects related to the implementation of the initiative, including sensitive ones. We are pleased to see the enthusiasm of our Turkish partners, as well as their constructive approach and willingness to engage in close joint work," he pointed out in response to a question concerning explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

Syromolotov was confident that Moscow and Ankara would succeed "in resolving all the emerging issues, including those concerning the security of the existing and future energy facilities."

The Russian deputy foreign minister said that the energy sector was one of the fields where Russian-Turkish cooperation was the most successful. "Ankara’s determination to boost ties in this field stems from the positive experience of bilateral cooperation in building the Blue Stream and the TurkStream gas pipelines, as well as from Russia’s reliance as a gas supplier," he noted.

Speaking at the Russian Energy Week forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed creating the largest gas hub in Europe in Turkey and redirecting the volume of gas, the transit of which is no longer possible through the Nord Stream, to this hub. According to him, it may imply building another gas pipeline system and creating a hub in Turkey, through which gas will be supplied to third countries, primarily European ones, if they are interested. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said later that decisions on the implementation of the gas hub project would be made in 2023.