Birthday deal? Putin, left, and Berlusconi
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Pipe plans on table at Putin's party
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is expected to broach Russia's controversial plans to build two more gas pipelines to Europe when he attends Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's private birthday party tomorrow.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini confirmed to the Financial Times that Berlusconi was expected to fly to St Petersburg.
He said he did not have a guest list or details of Putin’s birthday celebrations, the newspaper said.
However, the Berlusconi-owned daily Il Giornale reported that the two prime ministers would discuss geopolitics and energy.
Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroder, who now heads the Nord Stream consortium, is also expected to attend the private event.
Schroder was not available for comment while Putin’s office also declined to comment.
Nord Stream would link Russia to Germany under the Baltic. It could start pumping gas at the end of 2011 but its construction depends on the co-operation of countries with territorial waters along the route.
South Stream – a joint venture between Russia’s Gazprom and Italy’s Eni – would pipe Russian gas under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and on to central and southern Europe.
Berlusconi was in Sofia last week to discuss South Stream with Boyko Borissov, Bulgaria’s newly elected prime minister.