Russia and Türkiye start work on natural gas hub – Gazprom

Moscow and Ankara have begun work on creating a natural gas distribution hub in Türkiye, Aleksey Miller, the head of Russian energy giant Gazprom, has revealed.

The initiative is intended to help ensure transparent and fair pricing in the natural gas market, according to Miller.

The idea of creating a hub for gas supplies in Türkiye was proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in October. The president said this would allow Russia to redirect transits away from the damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines to the Black Sea region. He also noted that the gas hub would serve not only as a distribution platform but could also be used for determining gas prices and avoiding the “politicization” of energy.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has welcomed the idea, claiming that the EU would be able to make purchases of Russian gas via his country.

Meanwhile, many Western countries, including the US, have criticized the plan. US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel reiterated that Washington continues “to urge our allies to take steps to diversify their energy sources, to reduce energy reliance on Russia.” 

He was echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who claimed that the proposal to turn Türkiye into a gas hub “makes no sense,” given that Europe aims to wean itself off Russian energy.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said this week that Moscow and European energy importers were actively discussing increasing gas supply via Türkiye after the hub is created.

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