Erdogan plans to discuss gas hub project with Azerbaijani, Turkmen leaders

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday he plans to discuss issues of the establishment of a gas hub in Turkey with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkmenia during his visit to Ashgabat due in early December.

"[Russian President Vladiir] Putin and his official representatives have already made statements concerning the issue of the establishment of an energy hub in Turkey. Thanks to the steps that are planned to be made, Turkey will become a center of natural gas distribution. Issues linked with its establishment are planned to be discussed at the beginning of the next month with the presidents of Turkmenia and Azerbaijan during a visit to Ashgabat. I hope for positive results," he told journalists before leaving for Indonesia to take part in the Group of Twenty summit.

The idea of establishing a hub in Turkey to redirect the volume of gas, the transit of which is no longer possible through the Nord Stream, to was advanced by Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Russian Energy Week. it may imply building another gas pipeline system and creating a hub in Turkey, through which gas will be supplied to third countries, primarily European ones, if they are interested, he said.

This issue was among the topics discussed by the Russian and Turkish presidents on the sidelines of summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia in Astana on October 13.