Turkey, Russia energy experts meeting opens in Istanbul

By Firdevs Yuksel

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Turkish-Russian Energy Experts Round Table meeting started on Thursday in Istanbul for discussions on energy cooperation specifically in the field of natural gas.

The meeting, hosted by Anadolu Agency in cooperation with Russian news Agency TASS, will comprise two sessions entitled Natural Gas in Future Energy Mix moderated by Editor in Chief of TASS, Maxim Filimonov, and TurkStream in Turkey's Gas Future moderated by Deputy Editor of Anadolu Agency's Energy Desk, Baris Saglam.

The meeting will see the participation of Russian experts - Danila Bochkarev, energy security senior fellow of EastWest Institute, Konstantin Simonov, director of Russia National Energy Security Fund, Roman Samsonov, head of Gas and Arctic Energy Center at the Moscow School of Business Skolkovo, and Vitaliy Yermakov, head of the Center for Energy Policy Research at the Higher School of Economics.

The Turkish expert participants include; Erdal Tanas Karagol from the Yildirim Beyazit University's Department of Economics, Sohbet Karbuz, director of Hydrocarbons at Mediterranean Observatory for Energy (OME), Volkan Ozdemir, chair at Institute for Energy Markets and Policies (EPPEN) and Yasar Arslan, chair at Turkish Natural Gas Distributors Association, (GAZBIR)

All participants, including leading academics and energy experts from both countries, are expected to discuss Turkey-Russia relations in the field of energy, as well as current and future projects, in particular the TurkStream gas pipeline.

Running through the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey, the TurkStream natural gas pipeline consists of two 930-km lines each with a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters.

The first line is intended for gas supplies to Turkish consumers, while the second is to supply gas to south and southeastern Europe.

The pipeline, which is expected to proceed into Europe through Bulgaria, will become operational at the end of 2019.