TURKISH MINISTERS IN MOSCOW

Hurriyet
Friday, July 03, 2009 04:07

ISTANBUL – Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu and Energy Minister Taner
Yýldýz will hold talks today with their Russian counterparts in Moscow.

As the head of the joint economic commission, Yýldýz will hold talks
on issues concerning trade, industry and construction. The two sides
will also talk about the Blue Stream-2 project – the construction of
a pipeline parallel to the existing one that passes under the Black
Sea to carry Russian gas to Turkey.

There will also be preliminary talks on the renewal of the contract to
buy Russian gas, which is set to expire soon. The visit comes in the
aftermath of the deal signed between Russia and Azerbaijan, whereby
the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom will buy 500 million cubic meters
per year starting in 2010. The deal is perceived as a blow to the
Nabucco project, the pipeline designed to carry Caspian natural gas
to Europe via Turkey. The deal signed between Russia and Azerbaijan
and the Nabucco project are two separate projects, Yýldýz said.

Meanwhile Foreign Minister Davutoðlu is also headed to Moscow where
he will meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov today. The two
are expected to talk about the Nagorno Karabakh issue.