WORLD
TurkStream pipeline’s offshore section completed
Baku, November 20, AZERTAC
Turkey is becoming an important international energy hub as the TurkStream pipeline project becomes a reality, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in Istanbul on Monday, according to Anadolu Agency.
Becoming an energy hub will strengthen Turkey’s geopolitical position, Putin said at a ceremony alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan marking completion of the pipeline’s offshore section.
Construction of the TurkStream will have a positive impact on the development of the whole Black Sea region and will be an important safeguard for European energy security, he said.
Completion of the most difficult section of the gas pipeline testifies to the effective cooperation between Turkey and Russia in very important and complex areas, said Putin.
According to Putin, the basis of the project's success is trust between the two countries.
Echoing Erdogan’s words setting a Turkish-Russian trade target of $100 billion a year, Putin said he “had no doubts” the two countries would achieve this goal.
The TurkStream project is an export gas pipeline set to cross beneath the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey and also further extend to Turkey's borders with neighboring countries.
TurkStream's first line is set to carry 15.75 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to Turkey. With a second line that goes to Europe, the project is to have a capacity of 31.5 bcm per year.