Putin and Erdogan celebrate launch of TurkStream gas pipeline as example of international cooperation amid ME uproar

RT
Wed, 08 Jan 2020 14:20 UTC

© Reuters / Sergei Guneev

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vlavimir Putin meet in Istanbul

With regional tensions flaring, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed the launch of the near-1,000km TurkStream gas pipeline as an example of international cooperation.

"We live in a difficult world, and unfortunately, in the region we're in now, there are tendencies for the worsening of the situation," Putin said at the pipeline's inauguration ceremony in Istanbul on Wednesday, referring to ongoing tensions in Iran, Iraq and Syria.

He added that the ambitious project was "for the good of both our nations and our neighbors."

Turkey does not want any global disagreement or escalation of tensions," Erdogan declared, taking the stage next, before asking his country's Mediterranean neighbors to make the region a "center of cooperation."

Comment: Characteristically deceitful comment from Erdogan - he is currently preparing to invade Libya!

However, Turkey's eastern neighbors are currently in turmoil. A series of tit-for-tat strikes in Iraq have pushed the United States and Iran to the brink of war. Erdogan disagrees with Moscow's support for the Syrian government of Bashar Assad, and Ankara is also seeking to wade into Libya's civil war to prop up the government in Tripoli.

"The region has been bleeding for a long time and unfortunately from Iraq to Syria, millions of our innocent brothers have paid with their lives," Erdogan said. "The center of the Islamic civilization is basically destroyed, brother turns on brother. Other countries from outside have tried to make use of it, to interfere, starting from Iraq."

Buried under the Black Sea, the TurkStream pipeline has a capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters, and its two lines supply Turkey, as well as southern and southeastern Europe. The pipeline was completed in the face of the United States threatening sanctions, and reduces Europe's reliance on gas transited through Ukraine.

With Russian gas flowing to Turkish shores and onward to Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary will also receive gas once new pipelines are constructed.

Comment: Putin added:

"The supply of Russian gas through TurkStream will undoubtedly be of great importance not only for the economy of Turkey and the Black Sea region, but will also have a positive impact on the development of many South European countries, and will contribute to improving the energy security of Europe in general."

This new venture also benefits some European nations:

Some EU states are separately building their sections of the pipeline to get the gas supplies from Russia. In late December, Bulgaria announced its readiness to receive natural gas from Russia's Gazprom via Turkey. The new route is more economically viable for the country and could make gas cheaper for its consumers by around 5 percent, according to the country's Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova.

Serbia is also looking forward to getting Russian gas supplies and has already completed its section of the pipeline. But the country is not directly linked to the pipe, and will have to wait until neighboring Bulgaria extends TurkStream to its border. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier accused Sofia of deliberately delaying the construction of its section, warning that Moscow can find ways to bypass its territory, if necessary.

"This pipeline will allow Serbia to get gas at decent prices, better than we've had been so far," Serbian President Vucic said on Wednesday, as cited by the local media. He noted that the project would allow Serbia to attract more investment and develop industrial production.