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Turkey continues talks with Russia on gas hub creation, says minister

Turkey plans to establish a gas trade center that is open to everyone

ANKARA, January 30. /TASS/. Ankara continues discussing the prospects of creating a gas hub and a center for international gas trade in Istanbul with Moscow, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez told a forum on Monday.

"Of course, the talks with Russia on those issues continue. Russia is one of the main gas producers, it is our largest source of gas, and it will get a place at this trading platform," he said in an address broadcast by TVNET channel.

Turkey plans to establish a gas trade center that is open to everyone, the minister noted. "As we said before, we plan to create something like a supermarket for natural gas. We are creating this trading platform with our own rules. Of course, they will conform to international standards. But all producers and purchasers will get a place at this market," he explained.

The trading system will be free, according to Donmez. "Purchasers and sellers will contact each other and negotiate. Producers from Eurasia, Asia and other regions will be present. They will search for buyers of their goods," he said.

Speaking at the Russian Energy Week forum in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed creating a gas hub in Turkey and redirecting the volume of gas, the transit of which is no longer possible through the Nord Stream, to this hub. 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, he said. Ankara took the initiative positively, stating that it had most of infrastructure for the creation of a hub and a gas trade center in Istanbul ready.

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