Russian lawmaker says agreement on Turkish Stream may soon be submitted to State Duma

MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. Russia’s government may soon submit the agreement on the Turkish Stream project to the State Duma (Russian parliament) for ratification, chairman of the State Duma Committee for International Affairs Leonid Slutsky told TASS on Friday. "Let’s not rush things, but I believe the document will be submitted to the State Duma in the near term," Slutsky said. "We still have some questions for the government," the lawmaker noted. "As soon as the document is submitted to the State Duma, we will raise these questions, we may hold a special session together with the Energy Committee because this is an important energy project concerning gas exports to Turkey and other countries," he elaborated. "This is why we will thoroughly discuss the agreement," Slutsky added. The Russian authorities announced the Turkish Stream in December 2014 to replace the South Stream gas pipeline project. It was planned that the offshore section of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline would comprise four stretches with a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters each. However, the negotiations on the project were subsequently suspended, including due to the crisis in bilateral relations. After talks held between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in August 2016, a decision was made to resume works under the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project, set up a working group and prepare a roadmap. The Turkish Stream project envisages the construction of a gas pipeline across the Black Sea to the European part of Turkey and farther to the border with Greece. The pipeline’s offshore section is expected to equal about 910 km and its overland segment on the Turkish territory 180 km. The project is estimated at 11.4 billion euros. Gas deliveries via the first stretch of the gas pipeline are designed wholly to meet the requirements of the growing Turkish market. Read more