MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier, Russia's energy giant Gazprom said it is ready to resume talks with Ankara on construction of an underwater gas pipeline under the Turkish Stream project.
"The readiness level for project financing is very high," Shatalov told reporters.
Moscow suspended a number of strategic bilateral projects, including negotiations on the Turkish Stream project following the downing of a Russian Su-24 aircraft by a Turkish F-16 fighter jet in Syria on November 24.
The pipeline was expected to run below the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey and continue to a hub on the Turkish-Greek border, from where gas could be transferred to Southern Europe.
On Monday, the Kremlin announced that Erdogan had sent a letter regarding the incident with the Russian plane, saying "Excuse us" and pledging to take any steps to "relieve the pain and severity of damage" caused to the family of the pilot killed during the incident.