The Turkish Stream project could be implemented if the European Commission develops corresponding infrastructure for natural gas transportation in Central and Eastern Europe, RT cites Russian Energy Minister as saying.

According to Aleksandr Novak, construction of such infrastructure is vital for the project, with the European Commission together with the energy ministers of regional countries are preparing proposals for its development.

"This route would be very interesting and important for consumers in Central and Eastern Europe," Novak told Lifenews TV channel.

“If our colleagues are interested in the project’s implementation we will continue discussions,” Novak said.

The 1,100km Turkish Stream pipeline was set to have four lines and an annual capacity of up to 63 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas. Last December, Gazprom and Turkey’s Botas signed a memorandum on the construction of Turkish Stream.

About 16 bcm was supposed to be supplied to Turkey while the remaining 47 bcm was to go to a hub on the Greek-Turkish border to be transported onwards to Europe.

However, earlier this month Moscow suspended negotiations on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project in response to Turkey's shooting down a Russian jet in Syria. Restrictive economic measures have been introduced against the country, including suspension of some Russia-Turkey bilateral projects.