ANKARA, September 25. /TASS/. The issue of creating a gas hub in Turkey’s northwest is still actively discussed, though at this stage Ankara tends to be guided by Moscow, which is the initiator of the project, a source in Turkey’s energy sector told TASS.
"The project has a lot of details that should be agreed on. It is obviously strategic for Turkey. However, it still plays a mediator role in it as the issue is about potential notable supplies of gas from Russia to Turkey that is to be sold to Europe. This is why we are currently guided by the Russian side and, of course, the situation with the Ukrainian conflict as the success of this project largely depends on it," the source explained.
"Some contacts between the parties" have taken place and continue, he said, adding though that it is early to speak about their results.
Moreover, the source noted that Ankara’s interest in the hub is really high. "It should be taken into account that the global energy market is changing now due to events around Ukraine and Russia. As we see, Europe is starting to get dependent on LNG, from the US in particular. It may become a problem for EU countries in the future. Additionally, the US is trying to create new energy supply routes bypassing Turkey. And those aspects are undermining Ankara's positions," he pointed out, adding that Turkey understands that it should not lose the opportunity of creating routes for gas supplies to foreign markets on its territory.