By Emre Gurkan Abay

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin ratified a pipeline deal on Tuesday to take natural gas from Russia to Europe via Turkey.

The TurkStream pipe is to carry gas under the Black Sea to Turkey’s Thrace region. One line, with 15.75 billion cubic meters of capacity, is expected to supply the Turkish market while a second will carry gas to Europe.

The project was first announced by Putin during a 2014 visit to Turkey. It was recently agreed by the Russian parliament following ratification by the Turkish parliament and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.