08.01.2020
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov arrived in Istanbul to attend the inauguration ceremony of the TurkStream gas pipeline. During his visit, the Bulgarian Prime Minister will also attend a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The previous meeting between Borissov and Erdogan took place in July last year in Sarajevo in the framework of the Heads of State and Government Summit in the South-East European Cooperation Process. The focus of the forthcoming talks between Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be on the development of the bilateral relations on the basis of the generally accepted principles of good neighborliness, equality and mutual benefit.
Bulgaria seeks to develop and expand on an equal basis, and with respect to the interests of both countries, its relations with Turkey, a neighboring country, a NATO ally and a regional partner. The geographical location of Bulgaria and Turkey determines their role in the transit of energy resources, which is one of the prerequisites for cooperation. In the bilateral dialogue, Bulgaria attaches particular importance to the sphere of energy and energy security, and in particular the diversification of energy sources and supplies to our country. Complying with all European requirements, Bulgaria is working purposefully to maintain its strategic role on the gas map of Europe. Part of the fulfillment of this goal for our country is the construction of the Balkan gas hub, which will be supplied with gas from various sources, including through the TurkStream infrastructure.
The TurkStream project directly links the Russian Federation with Turkey's gas transmission network. The length of the offshore stretch of the Turkish Stream is 930 km across the Black Sea, from Anapa in Russia to Kıyıköy in Turkey. The maximum pipe depth is up to 2200 m in the waters of the Black Sea. The offshore section of this project is the largest system at such a depth - 2200 m. The capacity of the two pipes that will reach the land section is 31.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually. From the Kıyıköy receiving terminal in Turkey, one of the two land-based underground pipes is connected to the existing gas transmission system of the Republic of Turkey at Luleburgaz. The other pipe runs through the territory of Turkey to the border with the Republic of Bulgaria. The land section on the territory of Turkey from the Kıyıköy terminal to the Bulgarian border is 142 km long.
