Russia, Turkey: Moving Forward on South Stream

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reached an agreement on Aug. 6 that will let Turkish territory be part of the South Stream natural gas project. Russia's ability to get strategic players like Turkey and Italy to sign onto South Stream plans speaks volumes during a critical time in the region and gives the project a major boost — a message that is unlikely to go unnoticed by Europe.