Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi held a trilateral video conference meeting on Thursday, Anadolu Agency reported.
Putin said that he was happy to meet with Prime Minister Erdogan.
I would like to thank you for the decision taken by the Turkish government. I thank you for permitting a pipeline that will pass through Turkish territory in the Black Sea and reach Bulgaria from Russia, Putin said.
An agreement was recently signed in Italy regarding the Samsun-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline that will carry oil from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean region.
Talks with Kazakh authorities continue in this matter. This project will contribute to the member states and is important as an international one. The project is crucial for the energy security of Europe, Putin stressed.
Berlusconi said that he was pleased with the progress in negotiations.
We pay high importance to the Samsun-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline. There are four companies interested in the project and this number may go up. This project will contribute to the security of the Istanbul Straits, Berlusconi also said.
Prime Minister Erdogan, in his part, said that, once the Samsun-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline gets implemented, Istanbul will be saved from a possible ecological threat.
As you might appreciate, Turkey is a natural bridge between energy rich countries and world markets, Erdogan stressed.
We are working to strengthen Turkey's status as a transit country and turn Turkey into an energy center, Erdogan said.
I believe that the projects we are working on will contribute to the energy security of Turkey as well as Europe, Erdogan also said.