If Turks need Russian gas, they should come and ask – Gazprom CEO
If Ankara wants the Turkish Stream gas pipeline it will need to show some initiative, said Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller. He added that Russia is ready to consider the proposal, if it comes up.
Russia has suspended the project in response to Turkey shooting down a Russian jet in Syria, according to Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak.
"The negotiations on the Turkish Stream are suspended,” he said.
On Tuesday, The Kremlin said it would suspend the work of the joint Russian-Turkish Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. Moscow and Ankara were negotiating the Turkish Stream within this commission.
A preliminary agreement on constructing the pipeline was reached by Russia and Turkey in December 2014. Originally it was planned that it would have four lines with a capacity of 63 billion cubic meters of gas a year. Sixteen billion cubic meters were intended to be delivered to Turkey and 47 billion to a gas hub on the Turkish-Greek border
In October, Miller announced that Gazprom would cut the capacity of the Turkish Stream pipeline from 63 to 32 billion cubic meters of gas. He said that Nord Stream-2 project would cover the current European gas demand.
