South Stream: Bulgaria "Safe" from Romania
In a clear confirmation of the pressure that was applied to Bulgaria to commit to the South Stream gas transit pipeline, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller stated that Bulgaria can no longer be replaced by Romania as the European hub of the Russian-sponsored South Stream project.
Miller’s statement came after Gazprom signed a deal with Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) on establishing a South Stream Bulgaria AD joint venture to oversee the construction of the Bulgarian section of the South Stream pipeline.
The deal was signed by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov.
Bulgaria was pointed to as impeding South Stream in strongly worded articles in Russian newspapers. This followed the mention of a "country being problematic", during discussions between the respective Prime Ministers of Italy and Russia, Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi, at a recent meeting held near St. Petersburg.
Russia had been implying that, as a result of the Borisov Cabinet’s demands for Russia on several joint energy projects, Moscow might pick Romania instead as the hub from which the South Stream pipe will split to reach both Southern and Central Europe.
In June, Gazprom was mulling over replacing Bulgaria with Romania in the South Stream project since Borisov had announced that the country would not move ahead with the Russian-Bulgarian energy projects – Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline and a nuclear power plant in Belene – stating they are “economically unprofitable and unreasonable.”
The Russians seemed to be in a celebratory mood after finally tying down Bulgaria.
"Bulgaria, whom we once regarded somewhat as our best ally, and who cooled to Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, but now with the efforts of Russian foreign policy is returning to the main road, so to speak," wrote Komsomolskaya Pravda daily under the headline "Putin Brings Russia and Bulgaria Closer to Each Other."
State TV Rossiya 1 explains the long-lived ties and friendship between Russia and Bulgaria and goes as far as suggesting that nothstanding fleeting impressions to the contrary, Bulgaria will always be culturally and policywise oriented towards Russia.
Rossiya 1's report speaks of a "capitulation" of Bulgaria to Russia which is nevertheless not without benefit to Bulgaria itself.
Miller also said that Romania could join the project as one of the members of South Stream and that Gazprom was making calculations on the costs of Romania’s possible participation in the project.
Miller also said that South Stream may be put into operation in August 2015, four months earlier than planned.
“We are moving at a very good pace with the Bulgarian partners. Now we’re joking that if we keep this pace up, the pipeline may be launched four month earlier instead of the planned December 31 [in 2015],” he said.
Source: Novinite