ASHGABAT, January 25. /TASS/. Turkey within the framework of the gas hub creation would like to diversify supplies, not limiting itself to Russian gas, Turkey’s Ambassador to Turkmenistan Ahmet Demirok said.

"Turkey seeks to become a gas hub amid sanctions that have been imposed against Russia, as well as due to Europe’s mounting demand. <…> Russia sells most of its gas and oil to Turkey, and there is Russia’s support in Turkey’s transformation into a gas hub. Mr. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has repeatedly said about it. Our respective work with Russia continues, of course, we do not want to limit ourselves to Russian gas only, we want to diversify supplies," he told reporters.

After an agreement is reached, supplies will start, the diplomat noted without giving specific time limits.

In October 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed establishing such a hub in Turkey to where the lost gas transit flows through the Nord Stream pipeline could be redirected. Turkey has said that almost everything is ready to start the project in terms of infrastructure, but that legislative amendments are needed. The republic’s parliament made the first decisions on the operations of Turkish oil and gas producer Botas and a number of other suppliers in early April 2023.

On September 4 2023, after talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Putin said that Gazprom had handed over a draft roadmap for the gas hub project to Botas, adding that the formation of a joint working group was on the agenda. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in late December 2023 that the project of a gas hub in Turkey might start being implemented in 2024, with the roadmap on the project to be passed shortly.