Ankara Remains Committed to Turkish Stream Project Implementation

Turkey is interested in the Turkish Stream pipeline construction.

YELABUGA (Sputnik) — Ankara is interested in the construction, Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said on Saturday adding that he was going to discuss progress in the project's implementation with the Russian economy and energy ministers in the coming days.

"We support Turkish Stream project and the nuclear power plant being constructed in Turkey because we are interested in bilateral investment," Zeybekci told journalists.

Zeybekci added that he would discuss the issue with Russian counterpart Alexey Ulyukaev on Sunday and Energy Minister Alexander Novak on Monday.

The Turkish Stream project, which was planned to bring Russian gas via the Black Sea into Turkey and southern Europe, was suspended after a Russian Su-24 aircraft was downed by a Turkish F-16 fighter in Syria on November 24, 2015. In June, following Turkey's apology to Russia for the November incident, the sides began a reconciliation process.

In August, Gazprom's project management department official Anatoly Fayantsev said that the energy giant was willing to sign an intergovernmental agreement on the Turkish Stream with Turkey and was planning to update a roadmap for the halted project.

Russia and Turkey signed an agreement to construct and operate Turkey’s first nuclear power plant at the Akkuyu site in the southern Turkish province of Mersin in May 2010. The plant is expected to produce about 35 billion kilowatt-hours per year.