MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. Russia is ready to extend the second line of the Turkish stream pipeline only after receiving written guarantees of the project implementation from the European Union, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday at the meeting with members of the Association of European Businesses.
"Russia has always been a reliable supplier of hydrocarbons. Despite repeated suggestions that we have been hearing for the past two years to return to the full-scale dialogue, the Brussels’ words remain just words. Joint business projects supported by the EU countries, are being blocked and slowed down including the South stream and Nord stream-2," Lavrov said.
"Russia and Turkey signed agreement on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline in the direction of Europe, in particular Greece," the Minister recalled. "After the failure of the South Stream we will be ready to extend the line to the territory of the European Union upon receiving on paper official, unequivocal guarantees of the implementation of this project," Lavrov said.
"I think it is not a secret for anybody that a large part of the anti-Russian rhetoric in energy and other sectors comes from Washington and then carried out in Europe in the framework of notorious transatlantic solidarity," the Minister said. "The paradox is that the Americans do not bear any particular losses even expect to get Europeans to switch to the more expensive American liquefied natural gas from the Russian gas," he added.
"We hope that the EU will be able to overcome the inertia of thinking and will determine their own priorities without regard to non-regional players, and will not be led by Russophobic minority within the EU," Lavrov concluded.