Energy Minister Berat Albayrak told representatives of the foreign press on Wednesday in Ankara that realization of the Turkish Stream project depends on three criteria. "We are in favor of any project that serves the interest of both countries, contributes to regional peace and are financially feasible." Minister Albayrak said that they are ready to discuss all projects that satisfy these conditions. "Of course, we will follow the next steps that will be taken in the future in this regard." The Turkish Stream is a proposed natural gas pipeline from the Russian Federation to Turkey across the Black Sea, aiming to carry Russian natural gas to Europe via the Turkish-Greek border.

The Turkish Stream project is back on the negotiation table, following the normalization of Turkish-Russian political and economic relations. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit St. Petersburg on Aug. 9 to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, and among other regional issues, the two leaders are expected to discuss the fate of the long-stalled Turkish Stream project.

The construction of the Turkish Stream pipeline to deliver Russian gas to Turkey via the Black Sea was initially scheduled to begin in 2014, but was delayed after failure to reach an intergovernmental agreement. Negotiations on the project were suspended after Turkey shot down a Russian jet in Turkish airspace on the Syrian border on Nov. 24, 2015.