On Thursday, November 26th the Russian Minister of development,
Alexei Ulyukayev,
said that Russia is cancelling Turkish Stream and is considering
cancelling a contract for the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear reactor
in Mersin province.
Speaking to Sputnik
Ukulayav stated: “This project is no different fromany other, we are
talking aboutour investment cooperation [with Turkey], it is one ofthe
most perspective investment projects, and, just likeany other project,
it falls underthe law onspecial economic measures.”
However, one week later, Alaexey Ulyokaev appeared telling a version of “Peter and the Wolf.” On Tuesday,Itar-Tass
reported that the Minister did not after all cancel Turkish Stream; and
perhaps not even the $20 bn nuclear power plant project in Akkuyu.
The same information is confirmed by Reuters.
What has happened is that the Russian-Turkish Intergovernmental
Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation is suspended, but that does
not affect projects under construction. After all, according to
Ukulayav, Rosatom and Gazprom have independent management. “How the
governing agencies continue to work depends on them, the government has
not frozen the projects,” Ukulayav said.
Much is likely to depend on alternative routes of delivery for
Russian gas in Europe. Moscow and Berlin, favoring Nord Stream II,
encounter serious objections in Central Eastern Europe, especially
Poland and Slovakia. Given that the main objective is to bypass the
Ukrainian pipeline, Russia needs an alternative route capable of
reaching Southeastern Europe.
http://neurope.eu/article/turkish-stream-as-in-peter-and-the-wolf/