Launching of the Turkish Stream should be expected only after 2017, said Umit Yardim, Turkish Ambassador to Russia. Gasprom announced commencement of gas supplies to Turkey via the pipeline in December 2016.
The binding construction agreement between Russia and Turkey has not been signed yet and the gas pipeline launching should be expected only after 2017, Yardim said in his interview to Interfax.
“It would be, probably, wrong to name year 2016 or 2017 as the gas pipeline launching date,” Ambassador said and added that Turkey and Russia “have not reached the stage of the project beginning yet.”
He believes if the sides manage to implement the project, “this will be a great victory for both Turkey and Russia.” Yardim added that the contacts between the sides on this issue continue.
Gasprom President Aleksei Miller said earlier that gas supplies to Turkey via the Turkish Stream pipeline will begin in December 2016. The agreement on the term of the pipeline launching and the beginning of supplies has been reached at the meeting between Aleksei Miller and Turkish Energy Minister.
Turkish Stream project has become an alternative to the South Stream project. In early December 2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin and Gasprom President announced that the South Stream gas pipeline project has been closed, because of opposition of the European Union and the gas pipeline to Turkey is planned to be built instead of it.
