Turkish Stream is not an alternative to TANAP
By Nigar Abbasova
Turkish Stream gas pipeline is not an alternative to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), said Director General of Turkish Angoragaz gas company Gokhan Yardim talking to Anadolu Agency.
He also said that the Turkish Stream doesn’t prevent Ankara to implement other energy projects, underlining that the possibility that some European countries may oppose the implementation of the Turkish Stream is not ruled out.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss a number of important economic and political issues, including the implementation of the Turkish Stream project during the meeting in St. Petersburg, scheduled for August 9.
Turkish Stream project came under threat in late 2015 due to sharp deterioration of relations between Moscow and Ankara. The relations between the two countries are currently in the process of mending.
TANAP project, worth $9.2 billion, envisages transportation of gas of Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field from Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders of Turkey. The gas will be delivered to Turkey in 2018, and after completion of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline’s (TAP) construction, the gas will be delivered to Europe in early 2020.
Earlier, Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the TANAP project is an important and strategic project not only for Turkey, but for the whole region.
TANAP shareholders are Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR (58 percent), BOTAS (30 percent), and BP (12 percent). Vagif Aliyev, head of investments division at SOCAR recently said that some $2.091 billion have been invested in the project as of May 2016.
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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova
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