The international gas hub planned to be created in Turkey will be profitable if natural gas will be supplied to Europe not only from Russia but also from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Ugur Yasin Asal, Head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul Technical University, expressed this opinion in an interview with the Milliyet newspaper on Monday.
"Europe's need for gas in the medium and long term is obvious. Building a [distribution] center in Turkey just for Russian gas will not be enough. It should be a strategic priority for Turkey to pool the gas that comes from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in this center and deliver it jointly to Europe. Europe needs it and is looking for alternative gas routes," the expert noted.
Last week at the "Russian Energy Week" forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin came up with the idea of creating the largest gas hub of Europe in Turkey to redirect the lost volume of transit through the Nord Stream. According to him, the matter concerns the possibility of building another gas pipeline system and creating a hub in Turkey to supply gas to third countries, especially to Europe, if they are interested in it.
The issue of creating a gas hub in Turkey was discussed at the October 13 talks in Astana between the Russian and Turkish presidents. According to Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, the center is planned to be created as soon as possible and the most suitable place for it is the Thrace region in the European part of Turkey.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: btr/Creative Commons 2.5
Based on materials from TASS