Turkey and Russia managed to establish strong ties, and both will benefit from the Turkish Stream, expert says.
'Although rivals on the region, Russia and Turkey managed to establish strong ties despite the contemporary environment of crisis, and they are trying to improve that relationship.' Dimitar Bechev told The Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of a panel Monday in Sofia.
'Both Turkey and Russia will benefit from the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline project, but Turkey will benefit more,' said the senior research fellow at the London School of Economics.
Turkey and Bulgaria should also improve their relations, he underlined, reminding that is one of the main arguments in his report entitled 'Russia and Turkey - What Does Their Partnership Mean for the EU?'
Former Bulgarian Energy Minister Traycho Traykov, who was also in the panel, said Turkey wants to be an energy hub, stating 'Transforming the South Stream gas pipeline project to Turkish Stream was an emotional and spontaneous decision.'
'By doing this, Russia showed both its alternatives and its willingness to punish the European Union,' he emphasized.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Dec. 1 that Russia was canceling the South Stream gas pipeline project that would carry 63 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas annually to Europe via Bulgaria.
Instead, he proposed a new natural gas pipeline route through Turkey's northwestern Thrace region to reach Greece, which is commonly refered to as 'Turkish Stream.'
Putin told on Feb. 17 during his visit to Hungary that it was not Russia that abandoned the South Stream pipeline, but the European Union hindered the project.
'Turkish Stream' is planned to have a capacity of 63 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, while Turkey would get around 14 billion cubic meters annually for its domestic use and the remaining gas would be exported to Europe.
Reporting by İhvan Radoykov, Writing by Ovunc Kutlu
Anadolu Agency
ovunc.kutlu@aa.com.tr