European Union preventing extension of Turkstream to Greece: Tsipras
At a joint conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras voiced his country’s interest to be part of the natural gas pipeline project, but pointed out EU's "double standards" were preventing it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attend an event marking the completion of the offshore part of TurkStream natural gas pipeline that will carry natural gas from Russia to Turkey, in Istanbul, Monday, Nov. 19, 2018. The two 930-kilometer (578-mile) lines when finished are expected to carry 31.5 billion cubic meters (1.1 trillion cubic feet) of Russian natural gas annually to European markets, through Turkish territories.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras voiced his country’s interest to be part of the TurkStream project, saying it will increase Greece’s role in the regional energy domain.
Tsipras was speaking at a joint conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Russian president said it is ready to extend the TurkStream natural gas pipeline to Greece, reminding that a pipeline from Greece to Italy has yet to be filled with gas and that it can be used for gas transportation from Russia to southern Europe via Turkey.
"We are discussing this with our Turkish and Greek partners, and it is quite possible. There is a built pipeline from Greece to Italy. We can think together how to fill this route with a real product," Putin said.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Greek prime minister accused European Union of having “double standards” regarding TurkStream, saying the European Commission “prevents" extension of the TurkStream to Greece.
The TurkStream project is an export gas pipeline consisting of two 930-kilometre (577.8-mile) lines each with a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic metres.
The pipeline is set to cross beneath the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey and also further extend to Turkey's borders with neighbouring countries.
The first line is intended for gas supplies to Turkish consumers, while the second is to supply gas to south and southeastern Europe.
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.