Accessibility links

Breaking News

World's Deepest Pipeline Set To Open


17 November 2005 -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin will inaugurate today a natural-gas pipeline that stretches from southern Russia under the Black Sea to an area near the Turkish Black sea port city of Samsun.


Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will also attend the ceremony, as Italy's ENI oil company was a key partner in construction of the pipeline together with Russia's Gazprom.


The $3.2 billion Blue Stream project is the world's deepest underwater pipeline.


The official inauguration today at Durusu, near Samsun, comes two years after gas began to flow through the pipeline.


Since then, the project has been mired in corruption allegations in Turkey.


In a meeting with Erdogan today, Putin is expected to discuss bilateral trade relations and further energy cooperation.


Russia now supplies 60 percent of Turkey's gas and 20 percent of its oil.


(AP/ITAR-TASS)

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG