MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/. The Turkish Stream pipeline construction project has been suspended, Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak told TASS on Thursday.
"The negotiations have been suspended," the minister said.
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- Greece eager to join TurkStream pipeline project — premier Tsipras
Earlier on Thursday Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said that in case Ankara needs the Turkish Stream project it should turn to Moscow. "As far as the Turkish Stream is concerned Turkey should first of all turn to Russia if it’s interested in the project. As of now Turkey has not turned to us with this proposal," Miller said, adding that in case such an offer follows it will be considered.
On December 1, Russian government took a decision to suspend operations of the mixed intergovernmental Russian-Turkish commission on trade and economic cooperation headed by Energy Minister Alexander Novak from the Russian side.
As TASS reported earlier with reference to a source familiar with the process of negotiations, consideration of the Turkish Stream project will be suspended due to termination of operations by the intergovernmental commission between Russia and Turkey.
The intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Turkey on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project was prepared within the intergovernmental commission. It was expected that the intergovernmental agreement could be already signed in December or January. Russia considered it reasonable to sign the agreement on 2 lines while Turkey insisted on including only one line into the document.
The agreement to construct the pipeline within the Turkish Stream project was reached in December 2014. According to the initial plan, the capacity of 4 lines of the pipeline will be 63 bln cubic meters of gas per year, with 16 bln to be supplied to Turkey and 47 bln - to the gas hub on the Turkish-Greek border. In October, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said the company will only construct 2 lines of the pipeline so far as the Nord Stream 2 pipeline can cover Europe’s growing demand for gas.
At the same time it was announced that the talks on signing the intergovernmental agreement were postponed due to the political situation in Turkey where the cabinet of ministers was being appointed at the moment.
