Macedonia is looking seriously into opportunities to join the Nabucco natural gas pipeline.

According to Minister of Economy Fatmir Besimi, Macedonia is eying participation in "Europe's strategic gas projects" and is interested in participating in Nabucco.

Quoted by Macedonian daily Vecer, Minister Besimi also added that his country should be looking into the potential of benefiting from gas transit through its territory.

Besimi's comments come shortly after reports that officials with the Russian company Gazprom, are expected to visit Skopje to hold talks with the Macedonian authorities about building a section of the South Stream pipeline, the rival project to Nabucco, in the country.

According to the Macedonian economy minister, his country has to seize all opportunities to joint regional and international gas networks "to acquire the name of a transit zone both in natural gas in specific and in energy in general."