Russia and Turkey will Resume the Turkish Stream

On August 9, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said at a joint press-conference with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that there is a positive decision to resume works on the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and the Turkish Stream gas pipeline. Erdogan confirmed.

“We have discussed major joint projects in the fields of energy whose resumption require political decisions. The Turkish side has already taken corresponding decisions on the Akkuyu nuclear power plant construction and the Turkish Stream gas pipeline,” Putin stated.

“To accelerate this project is one of our pending tasks, and I think it is a right decision,” Erdogan commented resuming of the Turkish Stream.

The Turkish Stream gas pipeline was announced in December 2014. The pipeline’s expected annual capacity is 63 billion cubic meters. The project was suspended in late 2015 after Turkey downed a Russian Su-24 jet in 2015.

Moscow and Anakara signed an agreement to construct and operate Turkey’s first nuclear power plant at the Akkuyu site in May 2010. Some 35 billion kilowatt-hours per year are epxected to be produced by the plant.

The Russian president also added that Moscow has decided to resume charter flights to Turkey.

“We have looked at the option of resuming our charter flights between Russia and Turkey, I think this is a matter of time,” Putin stated.

Putin added that visa regime issues between the two countries must be resolved in order to strengthen Russian-Turkish economic ties.

The joint press-conference followed a meeting between Erdugan and his Russian counterpart Recep in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. This was the first meeting since the downing of Russia’s Su-24 in November 2015.