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Ankara has granted permission for offshore research relating to the planned Turkish Stream gas pipeline, Russia's Gazprom said on June 22.

"Turkey has granted permission for an engineering survey of the offshore section of Turkish Stream," Gazprom said in a statement, as reported by Reuters. 

Bulgaria wants to build a storage facility for natural gas from the Turkish Stream pipeline project, according to Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak.

Bulgaria ensured compliance with all EU rules after the suspension of the South Stream gas pipeline project, according to Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov.

Mitov's statement came in response to the signing of the Russian-Greek Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of the Turkish Stream pipeline.

Michael Davenport, head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, on Friday that he had not been able to clarify the Serbian Foreign Minister's claim that the EU was being "hypocritical towards Serbia" about the South Stream pipeline, because the EU wanted to bypass Serbia with the new pipeline project, called East Ring.

Gazprom claims thar EU "offered Russia to build pipeline bypassing Serbia"

Ivica Dacic says he learned "from Russian colleagues" that EU officials "offered Russia to build a gas pipeline dubbed Eastern Ring."

This pipeline would go through Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia - bypassing Serbia.

Russia and Greece signed on Friday an intergovernmental cooperation memorandum on the construction of a continuation of the Turkish Stream pipeline on Greek territory.

The document was signed by Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and his Greek counterpart Panagiotis Lafazanis during the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Russia and Greece on June 19 signed a preliminary agreement to set up a joint venture to build a pipeline through Greece, Moscow said.

Work on joint large-scale energy projects is expected to be on the agenda of a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Turkey in Baku on 13 June, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

The planned gas pipeline between Turkey and Russia, dubbed the ?Turkish Stream,? has not ?matured? enough, according to Turkish Energy Minister Taner Y?ld?z, although the Russian side has made solid announcements regarding the project. 

With a few days left before he loses his seat as minister and quits active politics, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Y?ld?z said Turkey is considering becoming an equity partner in the Turkish Stream project, as Russia?s Gazprom is likely to start construction of the natural gas pipeline by the end of June.