ISTANBUL, December 17. /TASS/. Russia is holding consultations with Turkey on settlement of the situation over sanctions imposed by the US against Gazprombank, through which payments for Russian gas and oil are made, Russia’s consul general in Istanbul Andrey Buravov told reporters.
"We are constantly holding consultations with the Turkish side as one of our active counteragents, so to say," he said.
On December 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin updated the procedure for gas payments to be made by foreign buyers, the diplomat noted. In particular, foreign companies can now pay for Russian gas by crediting funds at their accounts via third parties and not directly through the account with Gazprombank.
"In order to solve the situation somehow the president’s decree has extended the list of banks, through which payment transactions for gas supplies may be made, which means that other banks that are not blacklisted, may be used," he said.
Gazprombank was blacklisted in late November. Turkey announced later that restrictions were negatively affecting the republic, adding that it was in talks with the US over a sanctions waiver that would allow the country to keep using Gazprombank to pay for natural gas from Russia. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Moscow was addressing the issue of method of payment for gas with all European countries, as well as Turkey, after the removal of sanctions.