Eni SpA (E) said Sunday its Chief Executive, Paolo Scaroni, met Russian ministers to discuss energy projects between Italy's biggest oil and natural gas company and the hydrocarbons-rich Eastern European country.
In a statement, Eni said CEO Scaroni met at the company's Milan offices with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko.
"Cooperation" between Eni and OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) and the Italian company's development opportunities in Russia were discussed, said the statement.
They "agreed" that every project between Eni and Gazprom, including the ones for the natural gas pipeline South Stream, OAO Gazprom Neft (SIBN.RS) and Western Siberia gas assets, "will be implemented as soon as possible."
Eventual cooperation between Saipem SpA (SPM.MI) and Russia's state-controlled oil pipeline operator OAO Transneft (TRNFP.RS), Eni's electricity unit Enipower and Inter RAO (IRAO.RS), to strengthen energy cooperation between Italy and Russia, was also discussed, it added.
Inter RAO is the import-export arm of former monopoly RAO Unified Energy System of Russia, or UES. Saipem is Europe's biggest oil services company by market value and is controlled by Eni.