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Russia resumes gas supply to Turkey

May 26, 2021 at 2:17 pm

The logo of Russia’s energy giant Gazprom in Moscow on 16 April 2021 [KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images]

Russian gas producer Gazprom has resumed supplies to Turkey via the Blue Stream gas pipeline, the Interfax news agency quoted the company as saying yesterday.

Gazprom had suspended the supply for planned maintenance on 12 May and restarted earlier than the scheduled date of 27 May.

The Blue Stream gas pipeline is designed to deliver Russian natural gas to Turkey across the Black Sea bypassing third countries. Blue Stream supplements the gas transmission corridor running from Russia to Turkey via Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria.

Last month, the company’s Deputy Leader Elena Burmistrova stated that the sale of Russian gas to Turkey is competitive, and that gas supplies increased significantly compared to 2020.

Emphasising that Gazprom’s gas prices are flexible and competitive, she said: “We are reaching some agreements, our prices are competitive, Turks continue to effectively purchase our gas volumes from the Blue Stream and Turkish Stream natural gas pipelines, as before.”

Turkey is currently importing approximately 50 per cent of its gas needs from Russia, making Ankara the second most valuable market for Russian gas after Germany.

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