Azernews.Az

Turkey has asked Russia to increase gas supplies by three billion cubic meters a year, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said, RIA Novosti reported.

"Turkey is raising the issue of increasing the volumes of gas supplies, because their gas consumption growth is rather high. They are asking for an additional three billion cubic meters in the nearest future," Novak told reporters.

Turkey purchases about 25 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually, with fuel supplied through a western route via Ukraine and through the submerged Blue Stream gas pipeline. In 2012, Russia will sell 27 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey.

Novak said that to boost the supplies Russia will have to expand the capacity of its pipelines.

"We have agreed with Gazprom that it will look into the technical possibility of raising the Blue Stream capacity. And there is another option ... via the Western Corridor," Novak said.

Earlier on Monday President Vladimir Putin said that Russia and Turkey could expand the capacities of the Blue Stream natural gas pipeline, laid on the bottom of the Black Sea.

The move will enable the parties to supply gas to third parties.

At present, the Blue Stream pipeline's capacity amounts to 16 billion cubic meters.