Turkish Stream natural gas talks with Russia restart

ANKARA (AA) - Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said that the talks with Turkey have resumed on the Turkish Stream natural gas project on Friday.

Speaking to Russian news channel Rossiya 24, Novak said that Turkey wants to export 15.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia via the planned direct route.

"The talks with Turkey restarted for constructing two pipelines for the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline project. It is planned that, in the second pipeline, natural gas will be carried to southeast Europe," Novak said.

The Turkish Stream project aims to transfer Russian natural gas to Europe via the Black Sea and Turkey.

However, a lack of progress in the project was put down to Russia's non application of the 10.25 percent gas price discount to Turkey's gas contract with Russia which was previously agreed on. After the Russian jet downing last July, both Turkish and Russian officials issued statements about freezing talks on the Turkish Stream project.