Croatia joined the South Stream gas transit pipeline project by signing an agreement with Russia Tuesday.

The agreement allowing the South Stream pipe to go through Croatia was signed in Moscow Tuesday in the presence of Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The South Stream gas transit pipeline is expected to be completed in 2015; it is to run from Russia to Bulgaria splitting in two there to reach Northern Italy via Serbia and Croatia, and Southern Italy via Greece.

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor met with her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin yesterday in Moscow.

At the beginning of their meeting. Putin told Kosor she had come at the right time because it was the best time to see what the two countries could do together to improve bilateral economic and commercial relations.

Putin added that economic cooperation between the two countries had been very successful during the past ten years but had declined in 2009 owing to the financial crisis.

Putin said: "That is the reason why I believe you came at the right time. We need to see what we can do to return our cooperation to its past level and keep going forward."

Hina news agency has reported that Kosor had said that Croatia as a future EU member stare would support cooperation between Russia and the European Union.

Former Croatian Presidents Stjepan Mesic and Franjo Tudjman visited Russia.