Russia, Turkey Can Sign Intergovernmental Deal on Turkish Stream by October

Russia and Turkey could sign an intergovernmental agreement on the Turkish Stream gas project within one or two months, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told journalists on Saturday.

VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) – 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.

On August 10, 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.

"We plan that within a month or two we will get to the signing of relevant documents so that the first line for the supply of gas to Turkish consumers could be implemented by the end of 2019," Novak said.

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said on Friday that a roadmap for the Turkish Stream was expected to be worked out in October and the intergovernmental agreement was expected within several months after that.