LANDLOCKED Central and Eastern European nations will increasingly look to Turkey to replace imports of Russian gas, according to an April Gas LNG Market (GLM) report by London-based energy intelligence service ICIS. But while some European Union nations may turn to Turkey to help ease supply concerns, warnings are being sounded over the origins of the gas. Russian natural gas and liquefied natural gas are not currently subject to EU sanctions when European countries or companies negotiate individual contracts. However, importing Russian gas is banned under the EU's co-ordinated joint gas-purchasing scheme launched on 25 April. EU member nations are not obliged to join the joint purchasing scheme, but some member nations, including Spain, are pushing for the bloc to take a tougher stance to identify the source of energy imports to ensure that sanctions are upheld. However, Turkey is "not publishing any data on where the gas is coming from", warns Aura Sabadus, an ICIS senior energy expert who covers Turkey, Ukraine, Romania and the Caspian region.
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