Erdoğan and Berlusconi have their finger in every pie

Russia's prime minister Vladimir Putin and Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed an accord on the construction of the so-called "South Stream" pipeline in Ankara on Thursday. The project is meant to pipe Russian gas over Turkey and the Balkans to Western Europe, thus by-passing Ukraine. The daily Delo comments on the presence of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the talks: "This does not even come as a surprise. Three days ago he announced he was on a diet and about to start off on his annual beautification trip. Then on Wednesday he purchased some football players and on Thursday showed what he'd achieved while everyone was talking about his womanizing, namely securing a free flow of energy. ... Such matters require a true wheeler and dealer, in the most positive sense of the term. Italy is Russia's main partner in the South Stream pipeline, and as an EU member Italy is also part of the Nabucco pipeline project. Turkey, too, has no better partner in Europe than Berlusconi. Erdoğan and Berlusconi have their finger in every pie. Two true devils!"

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