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Turkey to get more Russian natural gas

Bilateral agreement calls for 18 percent increase in deliveries.

By Daniel J. Graeber

MOSCOW, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The Turkish government said it reached a deal with Russian energy company Gazprom to receive nearly 20 percent more gas per year from the Blue Stream pipeline.

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz met with Gazprom officials in Moscow to discuss bilateral relations. Turkey consumes about 1.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas annually and more than half of that comes from Russia.

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During meetings with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller, the Turkish government said the amount of gas sent from Russia though the Blue Stream pipeline would increase by about 18 percent to 670 billion cubic feet per year.

Turkey aims to exploit its geographical position to serve as an energy bridge between Middle Eastern and Asian suppliers to the Middle East.

The Trans Anatolian pipeline, dubbed TANAP, would transport natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz gas field off the coast of Azerbaijan through Turkey to the Greek border and onto European consumers.

Europe is eager to break Russia's grip on the region's energy sector through projects likes Shah Deniz and TANAP.

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