Turkey is Gazprom's second biggest export market after Germany. In 2015 Gazprom exported about 27bn m3 of gas to Turkey. Currently Russian gas is exported to Turkey via the Blue Stream gas pipeline and the Trans Balkan gas pipeline.

China is a huge opportunity and a priority market for Azerbaijan. More than 50 agreements have been signed between the two countries so far. Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation has recently opened a representative office in China to support and encourage relations between the two countries' businessmen, as well as expand Azerbaijan's exports to the Chinese market and attract China's leading investment funds to the Azerbaijan economy.

During the visit, President Rouhani attended trilateral talks among Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan and conferred with his Russian and Azeri counterparts on expansion of trilateral cooperation in commerce, energy, telecommunications, environment, fight against terrorism, transportation and transit of goods.

The so-called TAP, which formally started construction in May, will run for 878 kilometers (550 miles) from Greece's border with Turkey, through Albania and to southern Italy, including a 105-kilometer (65-mile) stretch under the Adriatic Sea. First deliveries to Europe are expected in 2020.

The World Bank is downgrading its 2016 global growth forecast to 2.4 percent from the 2.9 percent pace projected in January. The move is due to sluggish growth in advanced economies, stubbornly low commodity prices, weak global trade, and diminishing capital flows.

"Turkey needs to diversify its imported energy resources. Turkey's approach to Russia will bear fruit in early October. The feasibility of the Turk Stream natural gas pipeline project, which Putin proposed in late 2014, may begin later this year. If all things go smoothly, we may see the Russian molecules in early 2019 via a new pipeline,"

In 2015 Gazprom increased gas exports to the region by 8% compared with 159.4bn m³ in 2014. The latest official statistics also indicate that Gazprom's gas exports experienced significant growth in the first four months of 2016.

It is absolutely compatible with the Energy Union. It will be sustainable, affordable and help security of supply, he said. It will increase liquidity in Europe but nobody will be forced to buy the gas, which will be priced against hubs.

It is absolutely compatible with the Energy Union. It will be sustainable, affordable and help security of supply, he said. It will increase liquidity in Europe but nobody will be forced to buy the gas, which will be priced against hubs.

The parties addressed the Russian-Slovak cooperation in the gas sector, discussing, inter alia, the collaboration between Gazprom and Slovak companies in gas supply and its transit via the Republic.

Shipping 110bn m³/yr would cost Gazprom a quarter of the amount it would spend if it used Nord Stream, while booking capacity for 70bn m³/yr would still cost it only a third as much.

For us it is a principal issue. Gazprom has launched a programme to optimise expenses in the central corridor which now has free capacities which also cost us money. We will hence liquidate 4,300 km of pipes and close 62 compressor stations.

The US officials gave a positive assessment of Ukraine's sourcing of gas from Europe and the ongoing reform at Naftogaz and Ukraine’s gas market. They also commended the implementation of the corporate governance reform, which was based on OECD principles for state-owned enterprises.

Socar President Rovnag Abdullaev disclosed last week that Azerbaijan was in the process of negotiating an agreement under which it would purchase 3-5bn m³/yr of gas from Gazprom.

Russia has been developing new pipeline projects such as South Stream, Turk Stream and Nord Stream 2. If one of them were to be realized then transit risk stemming from Ukraine would be severely minimized and Moscow would have important strategic leverage.