Russia and Bulgaria are planning to create soon a design company within the framework of the implementation of the South Stream project, in accordance with a bilateral agreement between the two countries, Russian Minister of Energy Sergei Shmatko told journalists on Monday after his talks with Tsetska Tsacheva, head of the Bulgarian People’s Assembly.
“I hope the plan to create a building company under the Russian-Bulgarian intergovernmental agreement will be put into effect soon, and in this case the implementation of the project will be started in the near future,” he said.
Commenting on the proposal of the Italian ENI to connect pipeline sections on the crossing of South Stream and Nabucco, Shmatko said Russia was not considering the idea so far. “We have the South Stream project, which has passed all coordinating stages by today. We have signed corresponding agreements with all the countries integrated in it,” he added.
“So far as the Nabucco project is concerned, it is clear that transportation routes for energy carriers should be diversified. The more gas is delivered to Europe – the better for European consumers, but Nabucco and South Stream are not rivals. The thing is we are sure that in this competition our positions are stronger, because we have gas, and all the decisions needed for the beginning of the building of the pipeline have been made. We are waiting impatiently for the time when Nabucco can offer competition to us at least formally,” Shmatko said.
According to his information, the next round of talks between Russia and Austria on its joining of the South Stream project will be held within two weeks. “We are working to make South Stream the priority European project, and we believe its successful advance in a number of European countries will be reason enough for Austria to join it,” he explained.