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351777
Thu, 12/18/2014 - 13:12
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New European gas hub at border between Turkey, Greece depends on European counterparts - Putin

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Organisation of a new European gas hub at the border between Turkey and Greece depends on European counterparts, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin told an annual news conference on Thursday. “To a big extent, this depends on the European counterparts. Whether they would like to have stable, absolutely guaranteed, risk free energy supplies from Russia, which they need. Good, if yet, we shall be working, and via Greece we may reach Macedonia, and further Serbia, and then to go again to Baumgartner in Austria. If they are not interested, we shall not do so,” he said. “There are no supplies, nor will there be any in near future, cheaper and more reliable than those from Russia,” he said. On December 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in the current conditions, Russia could not begin the implementation of the South Stream project. “Bearing in mind the fact that we have not yet received Bulgaria’s permission, we think Russia is such conditions cannot continue this project. I mean we are to begin the construction of the pipeline system in the Black Sea. We cannot begin the construction of the seabed section until we have Bulgaria’s permit,” Putin said. Russia cannot begin the construction of the seabed section to stop at the Bulgarian coast. “It is absurd. I think it is obvious,” he noted, adding that Russia is forced to revise its participation in the project. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller confirmed that the South Stream project has been closed. The European Commission has decided on December 9 to hold a special coordinating meeting with the governments of the EU countries to discuss the South Stream issue despite Russia’s move to drop the project. South Stream was expected to run across the Black Sea to Southern and Central Europe - Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Italy and Slovenia. Now Moscow plans to develop a “gas hub” to Southern Europe via Turkey. Bulgaria’s annual loss from termination of the South Stream project is estimated at 400 million euros. A new gas distributing hub will be built in the Turkish territory at the border with Greece. It will replace the South Stream project, which was terminated due to the EU’s opposition. Under the new project, Turkey may become a major intermediary supplying the Russian natural gas. The construction will make it possible to have nil risks related to transit of the Russian gas via Ukraine, Gazprom’s CEO Alexei Miller said. Read more

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