Turkish Minister: Trans-Anatolian Pipeline Will Cut Russian Gas Imports

A new pipeline under construction to transport Azerbaijani gas through Turkey will reduce the import of Russian gas, the Turkish Minister for Energy and Natural Resources has said.

Speaking to the newspaper Cumhuriyet yesterday, Taner Yildiz said the Trans-Anatolian pipeline would increase the import of Azeri gas instead.

"The TANAP (Trans Anadolu Natural Gas Pipeline) construction project will increase the use of Azerbaijani gas and reduce dependence on Russian gas," he said.

On Boxing Day last year, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed a deal to construct the pipeline, which will transport gas from Azerbaijan's massive Shah Deniz field from Turkey's eastern border, through its western border and into Central Europe.

The pipeline will carry an inital volume of 10 billion cubic metres to Europe, increasing to 24 billion cubic metres in time.