Turkey's energy minister and Russia’s Gazprom chief took a helicopter ride over the Black Sea to survey a possible route of the “Turkish Stream” pipeline Saturday.

Negotiations with Russia about natural gas prices and new gas pipeline route through Turkey's Thrace region look promising, Turkish energy minister says.

The four strings will have an aggregate capacity of 63 billion cubic meters a year. 660 kilometers of the pipeline’s route will be laid within the old corridor of South Stream and 250 kilometers – within a new corridor towards the European part of Turkey.

Russia's Gazprom plans to supply the first gas via a new route to Turkey in December 2016, Chief Executive Alexei Miller said in a statement on Tuesday.

Turkish Ambassador to Russia noted that energy cooperation with Russia was strategically important for Turkey, stressing that the sides are discussing potential routes for a new Black Sea gas pipeline.

Russia's decision to redirect the South Stream pipeline toward Turkey came as a shock to many European nations. The European Union's attempts to bargain more concessions from Russians by being intractable on various technical aspects had the opposite effect. Those who pinned their hopes on the project as a source of energy stability were left puzzled and discontented. Although Moscow's move can be interpreted in many ways, it fits into Russia's larger strategy in contemporary international politics.

that would allow Russia to establish control over such a gas trading hub, former US ambassador to Azerbaijan, Director of the International Centre for Defense Studies in Tallinn, Matthew Bryza told Trend.

Demise of South Stream big setback for Putin. Russia’s deal with Turkey cannot be deemed a serious replacement.

It was agreed to load Blue Stream with Russian natural gas to full capacity as soon as possible in order to satisfy the growing demand of Turkish consumers.

Turkey Closes its Doors for Israeli Gas for now