Gazprom of Russia: We Signed a Protocol with Ankara for the Gas Pipeline Project

The Russian state-owned company Gazprom has announced that it has signed a protocol with the Turkish government to finalize the gas pipeline project known as 'TurkStream'. The TurkStream project reduces Russia's dependence on gas transit through Ukraine. On June 5, Gazprom announced the signing of the protocol with Ankara and stated that it has reached an agreement with the Turkish company Botas to resolve disagreements over the gas transfer terms. Gazprom did not provide details but mentioned that disputes with Botas would be settled in court. The TurkStream pipeline, which is developed parallel to the Russia-Ukraine gas pipeline, reduces Russia's reliance on gas transit through Ukraine and is considered one of the major projects between the two countries. The leaders of Russia and Turkey signed the TurkStream construction contract on October 10, 2016, nearly a year after relations between the two countries had severely strained due to the downing of a Russian fighter jet by the Turkish military. However, since the signing of the project between Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Vladimir Putin, Ankara has delayed issuing the implementation permit. Mr. Erdoğan stated on Saturday that the two countries have agreed on a 10.25% discount on gas imported from Russia. The TurkStream is 910 kilometers long and is one of the major underwater pipeline projects that Moscow has planned in recent years. The Nord Stream pipeline transports Russian gas directly to Germany via the Baltic Sea, while the South Stream project was intended to deliver gas from under the Black Sea to Bulgaria. The South Stream project was shelved following escalating disputes between Europe and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. In addition to the major TurkStream project, Turkey has also purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system, which has faced criticism from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which Turkey is a member.