MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia and Turkey signed on Monday an intergovernmental agreement on a gas pipeline for deliveries of Russian natural gas to Turkey and Eastern Europe. Russian President Vladimir Putin said after signing the document that Ankara would receive a discount. On Tuesday, Russia's Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said that a gas discount mechanism for Turkey would be linked to delivery volumes.
Turkey's Botas energy company receives two billion cubic meters of the Russian gas annually via the Trans-Balkan pipeline, while Turkish private importers receive 10 billion cubic meters. Another 16 billion cubic meters of the Russian gas are being transported to Botas via the Blue Stream pipeline. In 2015, deliveries totaled 27 billion cubic meters, so the contract amount was covered almost completely, the Kommersant said.
According to the daily's sources, the discount can be connected with the delivery of additional volumes of the Russian gas to Turkey via the Trans-Balkan pipeline. According to the media outlet, the sides are currently discussing the additional annual delivery of two billions of cubic meters of the Russian gas.
Such volumes may partially compensate Gazprom's losses from the discount, the publication reads.
According to the sources, Turkey needs to receive additional volumes of natural gas, as the energy demand rises in the country, while Azerbaijan and Iran are unable to increase their gas deliveries to Turkey.
