Speaking after a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema told journalists that his country was ready to give the Russian company the chance to sell gas directly without having to go through other companies.
He said Italian energy company Eni was in talks with Gazprom over concluding an important deal without revealing the details.
The Italian minister also said Eni had showed an interest in starting its own projects on prospecting for energy resources in Russia, which is strategically important for Italy.
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's first deputy prime minister and chairman of Gazprom, met June 20 with Paolo Scaroni, chief executive of Eni to discuss global energy security and long-term bilateral cooperation, the company's press service said.
