Turkey's energy minister says Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will visit Ankara this week.
Taner Yildiz says that Putin will arrive Thursday to meet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Yildiz made the announcement Tuesday after meeting Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko ahead of Putin's visit. He says Russia expressed interest in contributing to a projected oil pipeline that will run from the Black Sea to Turkey's Mediterranean coast.
Turkey also hopes to renew natural gas deals that provide the bulk of Turkish gas imports. The country also wants to sign a deal on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Turkey recently signed a deal with EU countries to bring gas from Central Asia and the Middle East to reduce dependence on Russian energy.
