RFERL: After Ukraine Gas Cuts, South Stream Pipeline Tops Lavrov's Belgrade Agenda

The future prospects of the South Stream natural gas pipeline top the agenda of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s talks with Serbian officials on June 17 as he concludes a two-day visit to Belgrade.

Doubts about South Stream have risen since Bulgaria announced earlier in June that it is suspending construction of its portion of the project.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on June 9 that Belgrade had not yet reach a decision about construction of its portion of the pipeline, which is meant to carry Russian gas to the Europe Union by a southern route that bypasses Ukraine and passes through the Balkans.

Lavrov arrived in Belgrade on June 16 just hours after Russia's state-controlled Gazprom cut gas deliveries to Ukraine in a gas price dispute.

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