The key facts
- Russian gas supplies to Turkey in the first 5 days of November grew almost fourfold compared with September and October
- October supply volumes exceeded September's by 78%
- Turkey's minister explains the reduction in purchases by high prices; the TurkStream operator has filed a lawsuit with the Arbitration Court of Moscow Region
Sharp rise in supplies amid statements about reducing purchases
Supplies of Russian pipeline gas to Turkey have increased sharply, despite Ankara's statements about its intention to reduce purchases. According to Gazprom, in the first five days of November Turkish consumers received almost four times more gas than during the same periods of September and October. The growth had begun earlier: the total volume of supplies in October exceeded the September figure by 78%. This is reported by Life.ru.
Ankara's position
On the eve, Turkey's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar explained the reduction in purchases of Russian gas by its high cost. According to him, Turkey is increasingly turning to American suppliers who offer more favorable terms. At the same time, the minister emphasized that the republic does not intend to completely abandon Russian fuel and will continue to look for the most economical import options.
Court dispute over TurkStream
Meanwhile the operator of TurkStream, South Stream Transport B.V., has filed a lawsuit against Ukraine's Naftogaz and the Dutch Gasunie Transport Services. The claim was submitted to the Arbitration Court of Moscow Region on November 5; Gazprom has been involved in the proceedings as a third party, and the first hearing is scheduled for December 1. The dispute is classified as a corporate one, but the operator's specific claims and their financial valuation are not disclosed in the published materials. Earlier, Russian courts had already considered disagreements between Gazprom structures and Gasunie related to the enforcement of international arbitration decisions.
How the gas is supplied
Gas flows to Turkey via two Black Sea pipelines — Blue Stream and TurkStream. The latter is also used to transport Russian fuel to countries of Southern and Southeastern Europe. Thus, the data on the growth of supplies contradict the official statements of the Turkish side about reducing purchases: Gazprom cites actual volumes, while Minister Bayraktar speaks of plans and the search for cheaper options, without completely ruling out Russian fuel.
