MOSCOW (Sputnik) – He noted the lack of a clear stance from the European Commission on the Turkish Stream infrastructure, saying that "we are ready to implement this project if we have certain guarantees on the part of the EC countries.
"On the Turkish Stream, we are ready to implement the relevant infrastructure projects to lay the gas pipeline below the Black Sea. Most importantly, the issue at hand is whether our Turkish partners and colleagues are ready. Second, are our European partners ready to implement these projects," Novak told reporters.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The leaders agreed to restore bilateral relations, inluding in the spheres of trade and tourism.
Moscow suspended a number of strategic bilateral projects, including negotiations on the Turkish Stream project following the downing of a Russian Su-24 aircraft by a Turkish F-16 fighter jet in Syria on November 24.
The pipeline was expected to run below the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey and continue to a hub on the Turkish-Greek border, from where gas could be transferred to Southern Europe.
