Nord Stream

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would not want Europe to be weak and not protect its participation in the Nord Stream 2 project, as Bulgaria did with South Stream. This was pointed out at a joint press conference after a conversation with Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz in Moscow.

MESEBERG, Germany (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, as well as Iran and a gas pipeline project that has drawn U.S. ire during tough talks outside Berlin that ended with no clearcut progress.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin this weekend to discuss the conflicts in Syria and Eastern Ukraine.

The two leaders will meet at Schloss Meseberg outside Berlin on Saturday for talks on Ukraine and Syria, as well as the controversial gas pipeline Nord Stream II, government spokesperson Steffen Seibert confirmed on Monday.

The pipe installation for Nord Stream 2 began in German Lubmin in Bay of Greifswald, as Detsche Welle reported.

According to the news agency, the laybarge Castro 10 began the works at the ground expansion station on the night of July 25.

Nearshore trench works for the TurkStream natural gas pipeline project started on July 22 near Turkey's northwestern town of Kıyıköy, the South Stream Transport B.V. Company that is conducting the offshore pipeline said on July 23.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has held wide-ranging talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel over the Ukraine conflict, Europe's response to the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and the construction of a pipeline bringing gas from Russia to Germany.

Most of the permits for the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline have been obtained and its commissioning is scheduled to take place by December 30, 2019.

This was announced by the counselor of Russian President Yuri Ushakov.

German authorities have endorsed the construction of the new gas pipeline from Russia to the bottom of the Baltic Sea North Stream 2, Turkish Daily Sabah writes, quoted by Focus.

Germany has approved the construction and operation of the Russia-built Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, its operator and the German maritime authority said on March 27.

Polish counterintelligence AWB reported on arresting a Polish official on suspicion of working for Russian intelligence services.