MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Moscow and Ankara have begun technical implementation for the so-called Turkish Stream gas pipeline, Turkish Ambassador to Russia Umit Yardim said Tuesday.
"There are questions that need to be worked out, in particular, how exactly the pipeline will be laid. Both the Russian and the Turkish sides started implementation of the technical part of the project, the cooperation will be continued. Obtaining permission is an insignificant element of this work until the final decisions are made," Yardim said, at a press conference.
President Vladimir Putin cited the non-constructive position of the European Commission (EC). The EC claimed the pipeline would be in violation of the EU Third Energy Package, which prohibits the simultaneous ownership of both the gas and the pipeline through which it flows.
On the same day, Russia's energy giant Gazprom announced its intention to construct an alternate pipeline to Turkey.
