Gazprom: We Decide South Stream Route

Reaction from Russia continues following the result of the meeting between the Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov and the Serbian President Boris Tadic.

The leaders  agreed that the South Stream gas pipeline should enter Serbia at the town of Dimitrovgrad and not Zaychar, as was previously agreed with Russia.

Gazprom will have the final say for the South Stream route, despite Bulgaria’s and Serbia’s wishes, the press service of the Russian concern has told the Serbian daily Blic.

“We do not want to comment what Serbia President Boris Tadic and Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov talked about. Those are their wishes. The decision on the South Stream route will depend exclusively on the feasibility study presently being worked on,” the comment from Moscow said, as reported by Blic.

Gazprom has explained that all suggestions will be taken into consideration when taking the final decision of the route.

“Of course the opinion of Serbia will also be taken into consideration but the final proposal will be given by Gazprom,” the Russian company stated.

On Tuesday, the Russian newspaper Komersant also wrote that Tadic and Borisov agreed on the South Stream route behind Gazprom’s back.

“Belgrade has always been interested in this route, but failed to convince Gazprom and now is making attempts to use Sofia to achieve its goal while the latter, until recently, blackmailed Moscow with refusals to partake in South Stream,” the article said.

Both publications remind that after informal talks in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Varna over the weekend between Tadic and Borisov, the Bulgarian PM reported they have discussed and agreed the South Stream route will pass through Dimitrovgrad per the desire of the Serbian side. Tadic, on his part, had guaranteed Serbia’s participation in Bulgaria’s project to build a second nuclear power plant  in the Danube town of Belene.

Blic has pointed out that Gazprom insisted on the South Stream route going through Zaychar because that option would be cheaper. Serbia, on the other side, wants the route to go through Dimitrovgrad because in that case it would run along the whole territory of the country.

If the route passes through Zaychar, the whole south part of Serbia would be cut off.

Source: Blic (in Serbian)