Turkey wants cheaper Russian gas – Bloomberg – RT Business News
Discount could help Ankara avoid higher energy prices, outlet reports
Ankara is seeking a price cut of more than 25% for Russian natural gas, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing senior Turkish officials. The issue would be discussed on Friday in bilateral talks hosted by Türkiye.
According to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Turkey wants the reduction applied to payments in 2023 and some earlier payments made this year retrospectively. Ankara will apparently seek payment deferrals, preferably until 2024, if it fails to secure a cut to the desired level.
Russia supplied almost half of the total volume of gas imported from Turkey last year, estimated at 59 billion cubic meters. According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country’s total energy bill for 2022 could reach $100 billion, double last year.
Economic and energy ties between Russia and Turkey have grown stronger of late as Moscow seeks new markets for its exports despite Western sanctions.
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Erdogan previously welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to establish a natural gas distribution center in Türkiye, which would allow Moscow to redirect the transit of damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines to the Black Sea region.
The two countries are also working to build a $20 billion nuclear power plant on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, and Ankara has already asked Russian state-owned Rosatom to build a second reactor.
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