Italian PM to attend discussions on South Stream in Turkey

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will take part in a ceremony at Ankara in which important agreements in the energy sector will be signed between Turkey and Russia, AGI reported.

Turkish involvement in the South Stream gas pipeline project, in which the main partner is ENI, will mean that the pipe will be able to pass through Turkish waters in the Black Sea.

The agreement was a personal success for Berlusconi, who had pushed for the new infrastructure to be put in place quickly ever since the first meeting, in order to better guarantee European energy security.

The agreement on the Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline is also a public relations success for the Italian government. The oil pipeline will cross Turkey and make it easier to transport oil from the Caspian sea to the Mediterranean. This project has also enjoyed the support of the Italian government.