South Stream issues

In October 2010 Russia and Turkey are due to sign an agreement on the implementation of the South Stream project. However former Foreign Minister of Armenia Alexander Arzumanian thinks that nothing has been decided yet.

Although Turkey and Russia are cooperating strategically if Russia has to make some concession this could be at Armenia’s expense, thinks Arzumanian.

Currently Europe has been considering Turkey as an alternative gas transit route bypassing Russia. Some analysts think however that a warming of relations between Russia and Ukraine might put the South Stream project in question, as if it is implemented Ukraine will no longer be so important as a transit country.