Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said Italy's oil and gas concern ENI is Russia's strategic partner, Tass Russian news agency reported.
Kasyanov said on Monday that "this is our strategic partner and this is why it is important that our partner felt comfortable". Kasyanov held talks ENI manager Paolo Vittorio Mincato as part of his working visit to Italy.
The prime minister noted that Russia considers ENI-Gazprom as very important to maintain Russian-Italian cooperation at a high level taking into account the fact that "ENI is the major importer of Russian gas to Italy".
Kasyanov pointed out that ENI is also involved in several strategic projects, including the Blue Stream on Russian gas supplies to Turkey.
"We hope that gas is going to Turkey by this pipeline at the end of the year," the Russian prime minister said, adding that this project is very important for Russia because it seeks to strengthen cooperation with
the European Union in the energy field.
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
