RIA Novosti citing Mr Igor Sechin a first deputy premier said after talks with Mr Taner Yildiz Turkey's Energy Minister that Russia has proposed to Turkey that it join the South Stream natural gas pipeline project.

Mr Igor Sechin said "We want decisions on this project to be conducted in a transparent manner, adding that he hopes Turkey will consider the proposal. The pipeline which will link Russia to Europe via the Black Sea is scheduled to be completed in 2015.”

Mr Sechin said that various routes of gas supplies, including the EU backed Nabucco project, were discussed. He said that the more opportunities to supply gas to consumers the better."

South Stream is a rival to the Nabucco pipeline, designed to bring gas from Central Asia and the Caspian to Europe, bypassing Russia. The European Union, wary of its growing energy dependence on Russia, is backing the project despite the current economic crisis.

A deal reached on the weekend between Russia's Gazprom and Azerbaijan under which Russia will buy huge volumes of gas from the Caspian state's largest gas field, Shah Deniz to supply the South Stream pipeline, dealt a severe blow to the Nabucco project.

(Sourced from RIA Novosti)