South Stream pipeline project continues to develop. New section construction will be launched already next year.

      Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed plans to launch construction of the offshore section of South Stream pipeline in Turkey's economic zone in 2014. At the meeting of high level Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council, Russian leader noted that the interaction between two countries in the energy sector has reached a truly strategic level. "In 2014, we plan to launch the construction of the offshore section of South Stream pipeline in exclusively economic zone of Turkey”, Putin said. He also noted that the Blue Stream pipeline, which lay across the Black Sea bottom, operates reliably either.

      Gazprom is implementing the South Stream project in order to diversify the exportation of natural gas to Europe and to reduce dependence on transit countries. The length of the offshore part of South Stream, which will deliver Russian natural gas to southern Europe, is more than 900 km.