15:31 - 3.02.2026

---

February 3, Fineko/abc.az. The EU Council has approved rules according to which gas entering the European Union through point Strandzha-1/Malkochlar on the border of Turkey and Bulgaria will be considered Russian by default, unless evidence of a different origin is provided in advance.

ABC.AZ informs that it is linked with the fact that both Azerbaijani and Turkish supplies, as well as significant volumes of Russian gas via the Turkish Stream, pass through this hub.

According to EU regulations, Turkey and Azerbaijan are required to confirm no later than seven working days before import that the supplied gas is not of Russian origin. A similar mechanism will be applied to other points related to the transit of Russian gas.

A complete ban on the supply of Russian LNG to the EU will come into force on January 1, 2027, and pipeline gas from September 30, 2027.