MOSCOW
Russia's energy minister, Aleksandr Novak, considers Turkey to be a reliable partner for the delivery of Russian natural gas to Europe.
"Recently we have had very good relations with our Turkish partners, especially in the field of energy," the minister told the Russian news channel Rossiya 24 in an interview on Monday.
He said: "I am satisfied with our cooperation, our relationship, in terms of reliability, and in questions of investment in Russia and Turkey. We hope, of course, that all existing agreements will be carried out in full."
On 1 December Russian president Vladimir Putin made an official state visit to Turkey, during which he announced the cancelation of the "South Stream" natural gas pipeline project. The pipeline would have carried Russian gas across the Black Sea and into Europe via several Balkan nations, starting with Bulgaria. Instead, a new gas pipeline project has been proposed, which will carry gas through Turkey.
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