Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi will participate in the talks of Russian and Turkish Prime Ministers – Putin and Erdogan in Ankara. Berlusconi intends to take part in negotiations on South Stream gas main project, RIA Novosti reported referring to RF Government source.

South Stream will be laid along Black Sea bottom, from Novorossiysk (Russia) to Varna (Bulgarian bay). Its two branches will lay through the Balkan Peninsula to Italy and Austria, however the precise track yet to be confirmed. The project is to be completed by 2013.

Deputy Head of Russian Government Staff Yuri Ushakov declared that Turkey’s involvement is not a matter of discussion, although, “Turkey shows positive attitude towards the project.”

Besides, Russian and Turkish sides plan to sign a relevant protocol on oil cooperation. According to the document, a working group “will carefully and thoroughly study the project’s resource base and transport parameters as well as contracts on oil supplies” of the Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline project.

Overall 16 joint documents will be signed in Ankara on energy, transport, tourism and humanitarian cooperation.