听-Bulgaria emerges as viable second line route for TurkStream
Although no decision has yet been made via which country the TurkStream natural gas pipeline project will enter Europe, the Bulgarian alternative gains weight for the route in question.
In a meeting last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed this issue with the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.
鈥淲e are constantly consulting with our Turkish partners on the route that will lead the project in Europe, and Bulgaria is one of the alternatives at this point. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed this in our telephone conversation,鈥� Putin told reporters after his meeting with Borisov in Moscow.聽
Borisov also expressed Bulgaria鈥檚 wish to extend the TurkStream line, noting that, "Putin said nobody objects to TurkStream being extended to Bulgaria.鈥�
Putin announced the TurkStream in 2014, after dropping the South Stream project. Russia sought alternative routes for gas deliveries to bypass Ukraine and out of this, the TurkStream evolved, opening up a new transit route for Russian gas and helping Turkey's increasing gas demand.
Russia unhappy with new U.S. tariffs聽
The Russian Ministry of Commerce reacted to the decision of U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross when he announced last week that customs tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum would be applied to the European Union, Canada, and Mexico starting from June 1.
Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin criticized the U.S.鈥� commercial policy, saying, "We are now watching the U.S. shoot itself in the foot. Because of these policies, the whole world economy suffers. Interest rates will increase because of the U.S., and emerging markets will suffer from tighter financing conditions, trade restrictions and a slowdown in global growth rates."