MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. The situation regarding the return of commanders of the Azov nationalist battalion (banned and designated as a terrorist organization in Russia) to Ukraine after being on Turkish territory will not affect the implementation of the joint gas hub project of Russia and Turkey, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"No, this is not connected in any way," Peskov said, answering a relevant question.
"We intend to continue our relations with the Republic of Turkey. They are indeed multifaceted. And we will continue mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation."
The Kremlin spokesman added that the gas hub project affects the interests of "a very large number of countries in the region, and even European countries."
"This is important for everyone. Therefore, this work will continue," he concluded.
In October 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward the idea of creating a gas hub in Turkey, where the lost volume of transit through Nord Stream could be redirected. The Turkish side noted that almost everything is ready in terms of infrastructure for the implementation of the project, but it requires amendments to the legislation.
On Saturday, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky said that he was returning to the country along with five commanders of the Azov national battalion who had previously been staying in Turkey. Prior to that, on Friday, he met with Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan.
On Sunday, the situation with the return of the Azov commanders to Kiev was discussed over the phone by Russian and Turkish Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Hakan Fidan.
According to the Russian ministry, during the conversation, which took place at Turkey’s initiative, the parties reaffirmed the need to "preserve and strengthen the trusting nature of relations between Moscow and Ankara," discussed "recent events around Ukraine" and prospects for cooperation in ensuring global food security "in the context of the inability of Western states" to carry out the grain deal.