Kremlin spox: Russia hopes for progress on gas hub with Türkiye

The gas hub project with Türkiye is vital for Europe, and Russia anticipates advancements in the coming months, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He discussed the matter with Turkish media on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Caliber.Az reports.

"Our leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan have been discussing the creation of a gas hub in Türkiye over the past couple of years. This is a purely economic project that benefits Türkiye, the Russian Federation, and future European consumers, as many countries in Europe want to buy Russian gas. The project's implementation is truly necessary. Work continues at the expert level, and we hope to achieve significant results within a few months," he said.

Türkiye’s Energy Minister, Alparslan Bayraktar, echoed this optimism at the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum in early October, indicating potential progress on the project in the near term. "We are cooperating with other players on this project, and within the next few months, it will be possible to announce the progress," Bayraktar stated. "The gas hub in Türkiye will provide additional opportunities for both suppliers and consumers."

Bayraktar highlighted that Türkiye is capable of handling gas supplies from various countries via pipelines and LNG and is also investing in domestic gas production in the Black Sea. Türkiye expects to produce 7.5 billion cubic meters of gas within the next two years, aiming to triple this output. The country currently receives about 31 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia and approximately 10-11 billion cubic meters from Azerbaijan, while regasification terminals allow it to import up to 25 billion cubic meters more from suppliers like Qatar, Algeria, and Russia.

President Putin first proposed creating a gas hub in Türkiye in October 2022 as a means to redirect transit volumes lost through the Nord Stream pipeline. Turkish officials have since asserted that the country is nearly ready to support the project’s infrastructure. In December 2023, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak indicated that the hub project could commence in 2024, with plans for a gas trading centre in Istanbul involving Türkiye's Botaş and Russia's Gazprom.

By Tamilla Hasanova