Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to complete a gas distribution center to transport Russian gas to Europe via Türkiye. Erdogan said the project was originally proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and would be built with Russian assistance.
“We will further strengthen Türkiye’s position as an international hub,” Erdogan said in a speech on Monday. “Actually, in his message, Mr. Putin once again mentioned creating a hub in the Thrace region of Turkey. We will do that with them. There will be a hub in Thrace.”
Erdogan won a third term in office on Sunday by defeating his rival Kemal Kilidaroglu in the second round.Putin praises Turkish president’s leadership in congratulatory message to Erdogan “Personal contribution to the strengthening of friendly relations between Russia and Turkey”, He also praised the construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant and the creation of a gas hub as two important joint projects.
Putin first proposed the gas hub in October, saying Moscow could divert gas from two damaged Nord Stream pipelines to Turkey, where it could be used domestically and sold to European consumers. The hub will be built in the Turkish region of Eastern Thrace, which already receives gas from Russia via the 930-kilometer TurkStream pipeline.
Erdogan has welcomed the idea, with Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez saying in February that the hub could start operating as soon as this year.
The plan has been criticized in the West, with U.S. State Department spokesman Vedante Patel urging European countries not to buy Russian gas through Turkey and “Take steps to diversify its energy sources and reduce energy dependence on Russia” instead.French President Emmanuel Macron claimed the proposal “Pointless,” Given that the EU aims to wean itself off its dependence on Russian energy.
Under Erdogan, Turkey is the only NATO member not sanctioning Russia, and Ankara and Moscow have stepped up trade and diplomatic ties since the conflict in Ukraine began.Erdogan describes his foreign policy as “balanced,” It also seeks to establish Turkey as a regional energy trading powerhouse and a middleman between eastern producers (such as Russia and Azerbaijan) and western buyers.
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