The gas and nuclear energy agreement between Belarus and Russia marks a potentially epoch-making turning point. To summarize: Gazprom (the Russian state-owned company in charge of extracting and marketing natural gas) paid $2.5 billion to acquire 50% of Beltransgaz, the Belarusian company that controls (that is, used to control) the country’s pipelines. Gazprom bought the other 50% for the same price in 2007. In exchange, on top of the $2.5 billion, Moscow granted Belarus a 40% discount on the price of gas (from $244 to $166 per thousand cubic meters of gas) and a $10 billion loan to build a nuclear power plant.

This is just the financial aspect, which isn’t the most important one. By doing so, Moscow is assuring the safe transit of its gas to Europe, which is no small accomplishment, given that 15% of the Russian gas headed to the West passes through Belarus. Taking into account the normalization of Ukraine, which is now governed by a regime friendly to Russia, the Kremlin has protected the “sales network” of its most precious, most profitable product.

But there’s more. Russia (with Gazprom) is a decisive partner in the South Stream pipeline (with Italy’s Eni), which will reach Austria and Italy by way of Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece. Similarly, North Stream—the other pipeline, inaugurated in September— will reach Germany by passing under the Baltic and the North Sea. With its move in Belarus, Russia is therefore very close to establishing a scenario in which it is entirely in charge of the transit of its own gas and that of the Central Asian countries to the West.

The only country truly competing in this role is Turkey. And, in fact, unprecedented tensions have recently arisen between the two countries. In September, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz threatened to end the gas supply agreement with Russia which was signed 25 years ago and which Istanbul (the second leading importer of Russian gas, after the European Union) now sees as too onerous. But what’s at stake is the role described above. And Turkey intends to compete with Russia by backing the “European pipeline” (i.e., Nabucco) in opposition to South Stream and having it transport gas from Iraq and perhaps from Iran in opposition to South Stream’s Russian and Asian gas.