Macedonia Crisis Linked to Fate of Turkish Stream, Russia’s EU Envoy Says

Russia's Ambassador to EU Vladimir Chizhov. Credit: russianmission.eu

The key issue about Russia’s Turkish Stream project is in what direction the future gas pipeline will go after reaching Turkey’s border with Greece, Russia’s ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov has said.

There are three options, three countries after the pipeline enters Greece, Russian news agency Interfax quoted Chizhov as saying in an interview.

“One is Bulgaria, relationship with it has accumulated enough negative experience; Albania, where the situation has never been too calm, and Macedonia,” Chizhov said.

“[In Macedonia] we see an acute political crisis, actively heated from outside,” the Russian diplomat added, echoing earlier comments by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

While no one will directly admit that the crisis in Macedonia is linked to the fate of Turkish Stream, “the analogy suggests itself”, Chizhov said when asked whether the project could become a second edition of the abandoned South Stream.

Russian gas giant Gazprom announced on December 2014 it is abandoning the project designed to carry Russian gas across the Black Sea to Bulgaria and then to central and eastern Europe over objections from the European Commission.

The planned Turkish Stream pipeline is set to have an annual capacity of 63 billion cubic meters of gas, same as South Stream. Around 14 billion cubic meters of Russian will be supplied to Turkey, while the remainder will be pumped to a hub on Turkey’s border with Greece for delivery to potential customers in Europe.

 

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