17 May 2019 22:31

Russian gas shipment via TurkStream to begin in time, before end of 2019 - Matviyenko

ISTANBUL. May 17 (Interfax) - The shipment of Russian gas via the TurkStream gas pipeline will begin in time, Russian Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko said.

"As regards TurkStream, its underwater section has already been completed, and there is a clear understanding that Russian gas will reach TurkStream by December 31, by the end of this year, as planned," Matviyenko told journalists following a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday.

Matviyenko said her talks with Erdogan addressed economic cooperation. "He actively supports the agreement signed between the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Turkish Wealth Fund on joint investments in both the Russian and Turkish economy within $1 billion," she said.

"In President Erdogan's view, this is a good working mechanism, and the intergovernmental commission, whose meeting is to be held soon, should outline concrete plans for implementing this agreement," she said.