Erdogan orders government to begin working on Russian gas hub
After their meeting in Kazakhstan, Turkey and Russia will be collaborating on an international energy hub.
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The TurkStream pipeline which provides Russian gas to Turkey via Black Sea.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his support for the Kremlin's idea of creating an international gas hub in Turkey, ordering his government to immediately present executive plans, according to Turkish media on Friday.
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After the Nord Stream pipelines were blown up in a sabotage operation - likely by the United States and its allies - Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed sending natural gas to southern Europe through Turkey.
France was quick to react, with Emmanuel Macron's office saying it made "no sense"; an interesting remark after NATO explosives were found on the sabotage site in the NordStreams.
Moscow already supplies Ankara with natural gas through the TurkStream link which passes through the Black Sea.
On his return flight from Kazakhstan where he spoke to Putin on Thursday, Erdogan revealed that the new distribution center would probably be established in Thrace, Bulgaria.
"We have a national distribution centre, but of course now this will be an international distribution centre," Erdogan told reporters. "There will be no waiting on this issue."
Gas prices have been increasing since February, and Europe has been scurrying to find alternative energy supplies after their own refusal to pay for Russian gas in rubles - and now, after the 2 pipelines have been bombed.
This week, Putin revealed that Russia thwarted an attack on the TurkStream pipeline.
"We are quickly establishing a security net" for the new gas distribution centre project, Erdogan said.
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