MADRID, 19 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed an agreement with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, by which Turkey will become an axis for the redistribution of Russian gas to third countries, as both leaders sounded out in a recent meeting.
“We will create a node here with gas from Russia,” Erdogan announced in a speech to members of his party in Ankara. He has also quoted Putin to say that, once this initiative progresses, “Europe can get its natural gas from Turkey,” according to the Anatolia agency.
Erdogan has stated that Turkey does not have the “problem” that other economies suffer from, in a context of energy emergency with supply problems and high prices, derived mainly from the military offensive launched by Russia on Ukraine.
Putin and Erdogan met last week in Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of a regional forum, and after this meeting both parties had shown their willingness to reach an agreement. The Turkish president proposed the region of Eastern Thrace, on the shores of the Black Sea, as the most favorable area for the new node.
The Turkstream already reaches this province, which according to Putin is today the most reliable gas pipeline for exports, despite the fact that Moscow recently denounced an alleged sabotage attempt that resulted in several detainees.