Russian and Turkish Leaders Launched the Turkish Stream

The divergence in opinions between Moscow and Ankara did not hinder their common interests, said theTurkish President Erdogan at the commissioning the Turkish Stream gas pipeline ceremony in Istanbul. The Presidents of Turkey and Russia Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin put into operation the Turkish Stream gas pipeline on Wednesday, January 8. This will help strengthen Europe’s energy security, the Russian president said at a ceremony in Istanbul. His Turkish colleague spoke positively about the relationship between Ankara and Moscow and emphasized the “historical significance” of the project. “We did not allow our differences of opinion to block our common interest,” Erdogan emphasized. According to him, Turkey will be able to receive 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year through the gas pipeline. Another line of the Turkish Stream will allow delivering Russian gas to the countries of Southeast Europe. The Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov also attended the launching ceremony.  At the end of December, the Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said that the republic would be able to save 76 million leva (in terms of € 35 million) due to the agreement concluded between the Bulgarian gas company Bulgargaz and the Russian Gazprom. Meanwhile, on December, 20 the United States imposed sanctions on foreign companies providing vessels for the construction of the Turkish Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. The penalties foreseen in the United States defense budget for 2020 include a ban for representatives of these firms on entering the United States and the freezing of any of their assets in the country.