Syria row will not affect energy ties with Russia
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yıldız (C) tells reporters that conditions in Syria will not effect Turkey’s ongoing energy projects with Russia.
The disagreement between Turkey and Russia over Syria will have no affect on ongoing energy projects due to the strategic nature of this business, Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yıldız has said.“Our joint energy projects with Russia have a solid base. They are on the grounds of strategic cooperation. These projects will not be affected by conditions over Syria,” Yıldız told reporters Monday.
“We are not going to experience any difficulty with Russia, although we will not be in agreement on all issues [concerning Syria], because they are strategically important. We have serious ties with Russia,” he added.
The policies and future prospects of the two countries over Syria and the fate of its leader Bashar al-Assad differ significantly. Turkey joined an international chorus demanding the immediate toppling of the al-Assad regime, while Russia appears to be sole defender of the regime, along with Iran. Saturday’s international meeting in Geneva was far from successful in securing a joint understanding for a solution to the crisis.
Meanwhile, Yıldız said yesterday that the interrupted natural gas flow from Iran to Turkey would resume today, following last week’s disruption.
The natural gas flow, which stopped due to an explosion in the pipeline, will resume today, Yıldız told reporters yesterday.
Teams are still working to eliminate the problem in the flow of natural gas from Iran, he added.
On June 29, Russian natural gas distributor Gazprom had offered to provide Turkey with extra natural gas to make up for the disruption to the flow from Iran.
