Gazprom receives permits for survey on 2 threads of Turkish Stream

MOSCOW/ANKARA, Sep 29 (PRIME) -- Russian gas giant Gazprom has received permits for survey works on two deep-sea threads of the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline in Turkey’s territorial waters through diplomatic channels, the company said in a statement Thursday.

“Constructive, swift cooperation with the Turkish partners should be noted here. The work on the Turkish Stream is going on at a great pace. An important permit for its implementation has been received,” the company said citing CEO Alexei Miller.

Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak said in a news conference that Ankara hopes for advancement in negotiations on the Turkish Stream pipeline prior to a visit of President Vladimir Putin to Turkey and during the visit.

“We hope for positive advancement on Turkish Stream during the visit of mister (President Vladimir) Putin to Turkey in the framework of the World Energy Congress. But I think that we will advance even before the visit. And when Putin comes, we will discuss it in detail,” he said.

Previously, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the president may visit Turkey in October. Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday that the ministry hopes that the intergovernmental agreement on the project will be coordinated by mid-October.

In December 2014, Russia cancelled building the South Stream natural gas pipeline, which was supposed to carry Russian gas to Europe bypassing Ukraine, and decided to redirect all gas supplies to Turkey through the yet-to-be-built Turkish Stream pipeline. But the talks on the project stalled as relations between the two countries worsened.

In August 2016, Russian and Turkish officials said that they are interested in a restart of negotiations on the Turkish Stream.

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