Moscow and Ankara are set to reach an agreement on the creation of a natural gas hub in Türkiye in the near future, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Saturday.
He said Russia's Gazprom and Türkiye's state pipeline operator BOTAŞ were cooperating closely and had been discussing the project road map.
"I am sure that agreements on the practical implementation of this project will be reached in the near future," Novak said in an interview with the TV channel Rossiya 24 following a delegation-level meeting between Russia and Türkiye.
Russia last year proposed setting up a gas hub in Türkiye as Moscow worked to reroute its energy exports after European countries sharply cut their imports from Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine.
The Turkish capital Ankara on Saturday hosted the 18th meeting of the joint intergovernmental Russian-Turkish Commission on trade and economic cooperation. Novak led the Russian delegation, while Trade Minister Ömer Bolat headed the Turkish delegation.
"The Turkish delegation plans to arrive in St. Petersburg to get acquainted with Gazprom's developments in this area, and I am sure that agreements will be reached in the near future on the practical implementation of this project," Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted Novak as saying.
He said Russian-Turkish cooperation is expanding, with the possibility of joint projects in a number of areas, including advanced industries such as rare metal processing, composite materials manufacturing and energy storage devices based on lithium-ion batteries.
He praised Türkiye's transit role, saying it remains one of Russia's most important import and export corridors.
"Next year, the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, the flagship project that is being implemented, will provide the first energy to Turkish consumers. We are also considering the development of cooperation in humanitarian, educational and cultural relations," he said.
Novak said Türkiye ranked second on Russia's list of top trade partners last year, and the sides will continue working to take annual bilateral trade turnover to $100 billion on the directions of the two countries' presidents.
The issues of the financial interaction to ensure settlements in trade, and the possibility for tourists to pay while on a visit to Türkiye, were also on the agenda, he noted.
"This year, we expect a record number of Russian tourists to visit Türkiye. Over 5 million tourists are expected to visit Türkiye by the end of the year," he said.
According to Novak, the sides during the meeting also discussed new projects in the nuclear domain, including the possibility of the Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom participating in the construction of the second Turkish nuclear power plant in the northern province of Sinop.
Minister Bolat, for his part, said the Russian and Turkish delegations have been working hard for three days and have signed two documents that pave the way for stronger economic ties.
Bolat noted that while the energy sector has traditionally been the focus of Russian-Turkish cooperation, joint work in agriculture, industry, and customs is also increasing.
He also highlighted the importance of mutual investments of both countries to continue while touching upon numerous projects of Turkish contractors undertaken in the Russian market up to date.
"Turkish companies have undertaken approximately 2,135 projects worth approximately $98 billion in Russia in the field of contracting to date. Turkish contractors and technical consultancy firms will continue to further develop Russia's infrastructure," he said.
The minister also marked tourism as an area that unites the people of the two countries.
"We have signed the protocol and I am sure that with the implementation of the provisions of the protocol we will continue to develop and expand our cooperation in these areas," he said.