REUTERS
Putin said cooperation between the Russian Federation and Turkey was developing in almost all areas.
Presidents of Russia and Turkey Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan have announced the official launch of the TurkStream gas pipeline bypassing Ukraine along the bottom of the Black Sea.
The ceremony from Istanbul was broadcast by Russia 24 TV channel. The President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov also attended the event, according to an UNIAN correspondent in Russia.
In his address, Putin said cooperation between the Russian Federation and Turkey was developing in almost all areas. "The successful implementation of a large-scale joint project on the construction of the Trans-Black Sea gas pipeline clearly demonstrates that the Russian-Turkish strategic partnership yields significant, tangible results," Putin said.
Read alsoTurkStream starts pumping Russian gas to Bulgaria, bypassing Ukraine
According to him, "the interaction between Russia and Turkey is steadily developing in almost all areas. Despite the difficult situation in the world and the attempts of a number of international players to prevent the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries, the work is underway."
According to Putin, Russia delivered 24 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkish partners last year.
In turn, Erdogan said Turkey and the Russian Federation during the implementation of the TurkStream project had demonstrated an exemplary level of cooperation. According to him, Russia remains the main supplier of gas to Turkey, while the parties are ready to implement new projects.
UNIAN memo. TurkStream is a project for a transit-free export gas pipeline laid from Russia to Turkey under the Black Sea and further to the Turkish border with neighboring states. The first string of the pipe will be intended for the Turkish market, and the second – for gas supplies to the Southern and Southeast Europe. The annual capacity of each string is 15.75 billion cubic meters.