Their willingness to participate in the Gazprom "Turkish Stream" project has been confirmed by Greece, Serbia, Macedonia, Hungary and Turkey.
Reporting on this, “Commersant” reminds us that participation by these countries in the project was discussed recently at a meeting with the heads of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Serbia, Macedonia, Hungary and Turkey in Budapest. At this meeting, representatives of the five countries agreed to regular meetings and the creation of an expert group on the development of gas transmission infrastructure.
The next meeting is planned for July, but the individual negotiations between the heads of state will begin earlier. On April 8th in Moscow, Vladimir Putin's meeting took place with the prime minister of Greece, Alex Tsipras, at which the gas question was discussed. And in February, during negotiations with the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, the Russian President Vladimir Putin talked about the route of the future project. The powerful gas stream from Russia will pass along the bed of the Black Sea to Turkey, and thence will be directed through Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary to a gas hub in the Austrian Baumgarten. Completion of construction and putting the pipeline into operation are planned for December, 2016.
This is the alternative to the South Stream project, which was stymied by the European Commission.