WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Ukraine is willing to bring Turkish companies to work within its gas transportation system as well as engage them in developing uranium mines, Ukraine’s Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Volodymyr Demchyshyn told Sputnik.
"We are ready to provide services on the territory of Ukraine within the framework of our gas transportation system, if they have traders who are willing to work in our market," Demchyshyn said on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC. "We have uranium mines, and if they are ready they can participate in the development of these mines."
Ukraine is not afraid of cooperating with Turkey despite allegations that Ankara is involved in oil trade with Daesh, Demchyshyn told Sputnik.
"We are not buying oil from them," Demchyshyn said, adding that Ukraine was also interested in supplying Turkey with its turbines, transformers, high-voltage equipment, as well as providing services on equipment of underground storages that they build.
Demchyshyn told Sputnik earlier that Ukraine seeks to sign more energy deals with Turkey that would allow it to take over the niche Russia has established in Turkey’s energy sector, noting that Russia’s relations with Turkey have recently soured, leading to a freeze in some energy projects.
He also said that Ukraine may be a subcontractor in Turkish nuclear projects currently planned with Russia, explaining that Turkey is increasing its consumption of all energy resources and Ukraine has the technology needed to cooperate with Ankara on energy projects such as nuclear reactors and gas pipelines.
Russia and Turkey signed an agreement to construct and operate Turkey’s first nuclear power plant at the Akkuyu site in the Turkish southern Mersin Province in May 2010. The plant is expected to produce about 35 billion kilowatt-hours per year. The project's cost is estimated at about $20 billion.
The future of the joint project has been called into question amid increased tensions between Russia and Turkey due to the November 2015 Turkish downing of a Russian Su-24 frontline bomber over Syria.
Daesh has been relying heavily on revenue from oil trade on the black market. In December 2015, the Russian Defense Ministry released satellite images showing oil allegedly being transported from Daesh facilities in Syria to Turkey. Moscow maintains that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family are directly involved in illicit oil activities with Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia.
