PREVIEW - Putin To Attend TurkStream Gas Pipeline Completion Ceremony In Istanbul Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2018) Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the Turkish city of Istanbul on Monday to attend the ceremony of the completion of the TurkStream gas pipeline.

According to the Kremlin press service, Putin together with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will watch the conclusion of TurkStream construction by video.

The TurkStream pipeline project envisages the construction of a gas pipeline comprising two strings, each with the capacity to deliver 15.7 billion cubic meters (554 billion cubic feet) of gas per year.

The first leg is set to bring gas across the Black Sea directly to Turkey, while the other one will run across the Turkish territory to its western border, transporting natural gas to countries in the south and southeast of Europe.

CRUCIAL PROJECT FOR TURKISH ENERGY SECURITY

Emre Ersen, associate professor at the Marmara University's Department of Political Science and International Relations, told Sputnik that the pipeline would play a crucial role for ensuring the Turkish energy security.

"It [TurkStream] will replace the Western Pipeline which currently carries Russian gas to Turkey via a number of transit countries including Ukraine. Ankara is concerned about possible gas interruptions via this route because of the unresolved problems between Moscow and Kiev. Therefore, the first string of TurkStream is aimed at eliminating Ankara's concerns regarding this issue as it will now directly deliver Russian gas to Turkey," Ersen said adding that the pipeline would also boost Turkey's position as an energy corridor in Eurasia.

The expert pointed out that the TurkStream gas pipeline would also be important for Russia providing it with various routes for transporting gas to Europe.

"The second string of TurkStream which is yet to be constructed is particularly important for the Russian side because Moscow aims to bypass Ukraine by the end of 2019, while maintaining its strong share in the European gas market," the professor noted.

Ersen concluded that the both Moscow and Ankara viewed TurkStream as a win-win project.

"TurkStream pipeline is an extremely important project for the deepening of economic ties between Ankara and Moscow," the expert added.

Ersen believes that along with energy issues, the Russian and Turkish leaders will also discuss the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria.

"This is going to be the third face-to-face meeting between the two leaders in a month, but this time I think the main item on their agenda will be energy rather than Syria. However, I believe they will mainly discuss the issue of Idlib as Moscow is not currently satisfied with the implementation of the deal made with Ankara on 17 September," the expert said.

He also believes that the parties would discuss their concerns over the US activities in the war-torn Arab republic.

"Both countries are concerned about the political and military activities of the US to strengthen its influence in the east of the Euphrates River. Ankara is particularly concerned about the US links with the YPG [Kurdish People's Protection Units] there. Therefore, I think the two leaders will use this meeting as an opportunity to discuss their position on these issues as well," Ersen added.

According to the expert, Putin and Erdogan will also discuss the US decision to re-impose sanctions on Iran.

"Turkey is included in the list of countries to be exempted from the Iranian sanctions, although this is going to be a temporary exemption as also indicated by Washington. Therefore, Ankara's position on this issue is closer to Moscow and the EU countries, which are also against the US decision to reintroduce sanctions against Tehran," Ersen said.

He added that both Russia and Turkey were against the isolation of Iran in the middle East region.