Bulgarian President Georgy Parvanov urged the European Union Friday to work with countries in the Black Sea and Caspian region and speed up its flagship Nabucco project in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine gas crisis.
"Nabucco is not just a technical linking of pipes but means a whole new policy by E.U. countries towards the countries of the Black Sea and Caspian regions," Parvanov said in his annual lecture on national security.
Because of its close historical ties with those countries, E.U. member Bulgaria could take an active role in helping the bloc develop this policy of "mutual trust and active support that allows no patronising or lecturing tone or attitude," he added.
Bulgaria has already been one of the most active E.U. countries on the Nabucco pipeline project to bring gas from the Caucasus to Europe while bypassing both Russia and Ukraine, Parvanov said.
During talks in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan last year, Parvanov managed to get the countries' agreement in principle to feed gas to Nabucco.
Bulgaria also supports the Russia-backed South Stream pipeline to bring Russian gas to Europe under the Black Sea while bypassing Ukraine.