MAJOR changes will be expected after the Bulgarian government’s decision to back out of the project of Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, which was agreed to by Greece, Russia and Bulgaria to bring Russian oil to the Aegean and Europe by circumventing the Bosphorus Straits.
Last week, the Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov informed the EU ambassadors in Sofia that his government is no longer interested in the construction of the pipeline, following the Russian deadline set by the end of September for its construction.
Borisov went a step further by announcing separately that he would also not go ahead with the Russian construction of a nuclear power plant in the northern town of Belene and that his country is in favour of the Nabucco natural gas pipeline instead. Nabucco is a European-backed project running from the Caspian Sea through Turkey to Europe. It is competing with South Stream, backed by Russia, which runs through the Black Sea to Europe. This month Greece signed a pact with Russia’s Gazprom to participate in the South Stream project, which included Bulgaria among others.
These announcements were greeted with concern by some Bulgarian cabinet members. Borisov later tried to back off his outright dismissal of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis project, even though he insisted that the final decision should be made by the citizens of the Burgas town port themselves, because their environmental concerns have not been addressed.
The issue of these environmental concerns was first raised by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in a pre-election speech when he announced that his Pasok government was going to review the pipeline agreement. His government, however, has not yet formally raised the issue.
Moscow reaction
So far there has been no official reaction from Moscow.
Nor has Moscow officially reacted either to the decision not to go ahead with the Belene nuclear plant nor South Stream gas pipeline, for which Russia recently signed agreements with Turkey.
Greek government spokesman Yiorgos Petalotis in a brief statement insisted that Greece is still interested in both projects, but there had been no consultations with the Bulgarian government in an effort to change Borisov’s position.
Bulgarian intentions to distance themselves from Russian influence in the energy sector have huge implications on Greece’s energy policy.
Through the country of Bulgaria, and with Russian support, Greece intended to become the so-called European energy gate of the south in both oil and natural gas.
But American and European pressures for the security and diversification of energy routes and supplies within Europe (which obviously point to the displacement of Russian energy dominance in Europe), forced Athens to step back from the initial plan for full cooperation with Moscow.
Thus the Turkish port of Ceyhan, in the southeast Aegean region, is due to become the biggest energy hub in the eastern Mediterranean - a plan not at all in favour of the Greek energy ambitions in the region.
(Athens News)