MOSCOW
Natural gas talks with Russia to secure price discounts for increased supplies from Gazprom to Turkey are in progress, said Turkey's energy minister on Wednesday in Moscow.
After the thirteenth Turkey-Russia Joint Economic Commission held in the Russian capital, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz and his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak approved a final memorandum agreement which will be signed by heads of states on Dec. 1.
In a joint press conference after the meeting, Yildiz said that Turkey’s natural gas demand is still increasing.
Turkey previously asked for a discount from Russia on the sale of natural gas last month. Gazprom’s Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev announced that Gazprom was working on a detailed price package in line with the discount request from Turkey.
“We have a proposal for price reductions and we note that we have the right to such a revision,” Yildiz said, adding that, Turkey believes Gazprom will offer a price in accordance with market conditions.
“This is a new contract and will be done according to both countries' mutual economic feasibility,” he added.
Turkey imported some 45 billion cubic meters of gas in 2013, including 26.6 billion cubic meters from Russia.
During Yildiz's speech, he also spoke about the planned nuclear plant at Akkuyu in the Mersin province on Turkey's Mediterranean coast.
"Akkuyu nuclear plant's environmental impact assessment report was submitted for the approval of the Minister of Environment and Urbanization," Yildiz said.
Akkuyu, the Turkish subsidiary of Russian state-run Rosatom, will construct the country’s first nuclear power plant. The company signed an agreement to build and operate the four-reactor nuclear power plant in the Mersin province on Turkey's Mediterranean coast.
The final memorandum of the thirteenth Turkey- Russia Joint Economic Commission will be signed on Dec. 1 by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a 'High Level Cooperation Council' meeting in Turkey.
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