Russia–Turkey relations

Russia has started European gas deliveries through the new TurkStream pipeline to Turkey, Bulgaria's Bulgartransgaz said on Sunday, as Moscow looks to reduce shipments via Ukraine.

Russia is building TurkStream and doubling the capacity of NordStream across the Baltic Sea to Germany as part of plans to bypass Ukraine in its gas deliveries to Europe.

Russia has started European gas deliveries through the new TurkStream pipeline to Turkey, Bulgaria's Bulgartransgaz said on Jan. 5, as Moscow looks to reduce shipments via Ukraine.

Russia is building TurkStream and doubling the capacity of NordStream across the Baltic Sea to Germany as part of plans to bypass Ukraine in its gas deliveries to Europe.

The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission has accepted the reduction in the price of natural gas supplied to Bulgaria by Russia as of the beginning of January, by 1.81 percent compared to the previous quarter of the year, BNR reported.

Greece's gas distribution network DEPA and Greek refiner Energean Oil & Gas signed a letter of intent which envisages the supply of two billion cubic metres of gas a year via the Eastern Mediterranean pipeline, just hours before an intergovernmental agreement for the support of the pipeline is signed by Greece, Cyprus and Israel in Athens.

The natural gas pipelines stretching from the reserves in Azerbaijan and Russia to the European markets have turned Turkey into a major energy corridor from East to West, a senior Turkish official has said, days before the inauguration of the TurkStream project with the attendance of the Turkish and Russian presidents.

Turkey will launch TurkStream natural gas pipeline next month, energy and natural resources minister said on Dec. 27.

"We will launch TurkStream on Jan. 8. We will be indispensable in international markets with natural gas pipelines coming from both the east and north," said Fatih Dönmez in a meeting in the northwestern Bilecik province.

Russia will respond in kind to U.S. sanctions against the TurkStream and NordStream II projects, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Dec. 23.

Speaking at the upper chamber of the Russian parliament in Moscow, the Council of Federation, Lavrov said preparing a fitting response needs both time and analysis.

The Turkish Stream gas pipeline will be commissioned by the end of 2019, with both legs filled with gas, Daily Sabah reported.

Gazprom announced in a press release that the filling of the pipes marks the last stage before commissioning, which is to carry Russian natural gas under Black Sea waters to Turkey and from there to the European Union and Southeast European countries.

The TurkStream natural gas pipeline project, which will carry Russian gas to Turkey, is expected to be finalized by the end of 2019, according to the energy and natural sources minister.

Following Turkey's invasion of Syria, a new poll has shown that 58% of Germans want to oust Turkey from the NATO military alliance, according to the BGNES.