ANKARA, Turkey, May 11 (UPI) -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit Iran to discuss energy cooperation, possibly on the Nabucco pipeline, Iranian media reports.
Erdogan told Turkish television Friday he would include a visit to Tehran as part of a broader regional energy tour that includes Azerbaijan and Russia, Iran's Press TV reports.
"I intend to visit Tehran after my near-future visits to Baku and Moscow, where I hope to talk about the future of Tehran-Ankara cooperation with Iranian leaders," he said.
Press TV said the Turkish premier considers Iran as a potential supplier to the planned Nabucco natural gas pipeline for the European Union.
Nabucco would bring natural gas from Central Asia and the Middle East, and possibly Iran, to European markets, sidelining Russia.
A summit held Friday in Prague, Czech Republic, brought renewed declarations from potential Nabucco suppliers on the so-called Southern Corridor, though Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan failed to sign a final statement on the package of energy transit projects.
Iran could emerge in a stronger position in the wake of the declaration boycott as Nabucco critics continue to point to potential supply shortfalls for the 2,050-mile pipeline.
