Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said that Ankara cannot prolong the gas deal signed with Russia 25 years ago unless Moscow reconsiders gas prices, the Turkish prime minister said.
The first Russian-Turkish gas deal was signed in 1986. 6 billion cubic meters of gas were transported through Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. The deal expires in December 2011.
Turkey signed a deal on Russian gas supplies through the Black Sea pipeline called the Blue Stream.
The Turkish Ministry for Energy said that Istanbul will not have gas problems if it doesn’t sign a new agreement with Russia. Its main gas demand is in the north-western part of the country, with 15 million in Istanbul.
