Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said...
"Russia has been a reliable supplier of energy resources to Turkey," Putin told a news conference following talks with his visiting Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, which focused on the two countries" joint oil, gas and electricity projects.
Putin said Russian companies wish to take part in the privatization program being carried out by the Turkish government. Russia"s Stroytransgaz engineering construction company was earlier reported to be in talks on a stake in Istanbul"s gas distribution company.
Putin said Wednesday"s talks were dominated by the South Stream and Blue Stream natural gas pipelines as well as the Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline, describing the former two as "most important for Russia and Turkey, as well as the whole continent."
Turkey gave preliminary approval in August 2009 for Russia to use its sector of the Black Sea for the South Stream pipeline to pump Russian and Central Asian gas to Europe, bypassing Ukraine.