Turkish Parliamentary Committee to Discuss Turkish Stream Project Implementation

The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Turkish parliament, dubbed The Grand National Assembly of Turkey, on Tuesday is expected to discuss the implementation of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project, Hasan Basri Kurt, who is a member of the committee, told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — He added that after the issue is discussed by the committee, it would be considered by the parliament, however the lawmaker had no information on the exact date of such a discussion.

"The reliability of energy supply to both the European market and Turkey has a great significance. From this point of view, I believe, thanks to the implementation of an agreement on construction of the Turkish Stream, very important and positive steps, both for further development of bilateral ties and for provision of so important stability and energy security in the region, will be made," Kurt, who is lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP), said, commenting on Tuesday's agenda of the committee.

The Turkish Stream project was announced in late 2014 by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his state visit to Turkey. In November 2015, the project was suspended after a Russian Su-24 aircraft was downed by a Turkish F-16 fighter in Syria. A thaw in relations between Moscow and Ankara began last June following Ankara's apology to Russia.

On October 10, Moscow and Ankara signed an intergovernmental agreement, which envisions the construction of two underwater legs of the gas pipeline in the Black Sea. The annual capacity of each leg is estimated to reach 15.75 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Pipe-laying work for the Turkish Stream will begin in 2017 and end in late 2019.