ANAPA, June 23. /TASS/. The level of cooperation between Russia and Turkey is higher than with other countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday.

"We are developing projects with Turkey the way these projects are not developing with many other partners," Putin said in a phone conversation from a pipe-laying ship involved in the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline.

"When it takes us years to have administrative approval with the others, we do this within several months with Turkey and this certainly comes due to your direct personal support," Putin told the Turkish leader.

Putin recalled that the agreement on building the Turkish Stream pipeline was signed in autumn 2016.

"And after nearly seven months, the works have already started," Putin said, congratulating Erdogan on this event. The Russian president told him that currently the works are beginning on laying a deep-water part of the Turkish Stream.

While noting that serious progress on the Turkish Stream project has been reached, Putin stressed that the sides "have yet to agree on several more issues - the pipeline’s entry point, its passages through the Turkish territory and issues of complying with environmental security."

"But if we continue making headway at this pace, we will fulfill all our plans," he said.

Putin noted that next year the first leg of the pipeline will be ready, and the second leg is expected to be built in late 2019.