The fifth summit of the Turkey-Russia High Level Cooperation Council, held in Ankara on Dec. 1, ended with the signing of agreements and an astounding announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader said the South Stream pipeline project, which was to carry Russian natural gas to Europe through a conduit running under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and then Austria, had been dropped and the new route would run via Turkey.
Most energy and strategy pundits commented that Turkey had emerged as a winner from the controversy.
