By: BBC News

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is in Turkey hoping to clinch a deal on Russia’s South Stream gas pipeline.

Mr Putin is expected to discuss the project in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Russian officials say Turkey has agreed that the pipeline will pass under its territorial waters.

“The Turkish side will give its approval for starting exploration work,” said Yuri Ushakov, a senior Russian cabinet official.

The pipeline agreement would come in a memorandum to be signed by the two prime ministers, said Mr Ushakov.

But Turkey’s energy minister was more cautious on Tuesday, saying only that the project’s start date would be decided by the two prime ministers.

Mr Putin’s one-day visit follows the signing last month of an agreement between Turkey and four other countries – Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria – to construct the long-planned 3,300km (2,046-mile) Nabucco natural gas pipeline.

Once completed, Nabucco will bring up to 31bn cubic metres of gas a year from the Caspian and the Middle East across Turkey and into Europe.

It will provide an important alternative energy supply to Russia, which already meets about 30% of Europe’s gas needs.

During his one-day visit, Mr Putin is also expected to sign a nuclear energy deal which will see Russia helping Turkey build its first nuclear power plants.