Ankara, Moscow on brink of agreement on gas hub in Turkiye

Ankara and Moscow are nearing a consensus on establishing a gas hub in the Thrace region, aiming to position Turkiye as a pivotal gas supplier to Europe and facilitate energy exports for producing nations, Daily Sabah reports.

According to the report, the proposal to set up a hub in Turkiye was floated by President Vladimir Putin last year to replace Russia’s lost sales to Europe.

At the same time, Ankara has long desired to function as an exchange for energy-starved countries.

The report says the plan came shortly after explosions damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea. It remains unclear who was responsible for the blasts.

Ongoing efforts to identify suitable land in Thrace suggest that the hub could potentially be operational by 2024, according to a report in Sabah on Monday.

Last Friday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Alexander Novak, arrived in Turkiye and discussed the project with his Turkish counterpart, Alparslan Bayraktar, on the sidelines of the Turkish-Russian Joint Economic Commission meeting.

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