Putin, Erdogan meet in Istanbul for TurkStream inauguration
The Turkish and Russian presidents are meeting in Istanbul to inaugurate the dual natural gas line connecting their countries that will open up a new export path for Russian gas into Turkey and Europe.
Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin are also expected to discuss Syria and Libya, where the two leaders support opposing sides while addressing regional tensions in Iraq and Iran, which have escalated with the American killing of a top Iranian commander, Euronews reported.
With TurkStream, Russian gas will pass through the Black Sea to Turkey. Together, the two 930-kilometre (578-mile) lines under the Black Sea, along with the Russian and Turkish onshore pipes, will have the capacity to carry 31.5 billion cubic metres (1.1 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas annually.
Putin is in Turkey following a visit to Syria where he met President Bashar Assad.