Macedonian Deputy PM: South Stream Will Stabilise Macedonian Energy Security

Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Zoran Stravreski has said that joining the South Stream pipeline project will help to stabilise Macedonia's energy security for years to come.

In a statement released on the official government website of Macedonia, Minister Stravreski said that his country's inclusion in the South Stream project would guarantee lowered prices for gas and security of supply.

"We have a qualitative step forward in the realization of the national gas pipeline system and the inclusion of Macedonia in the South Stream project," he told reporters yesterday. "What has happened and what will happen to the national gas pipeline network and involvement in South Stream is a great strategic issue for Macedonia... Now [the South Stream pipeline can] practically provide a stable source of gas for all future generations."

Having access to greater gas supply and an increased customer base would mean Macedonian citizens would see lower prices, he said.

At the moment, a draft agreement on Macedonia's involvement in the South Stream project is being worked out by operator Gazprom. A definitive date for when the Macedonian leg of the South Stream project would be constructed had not yet been decided, Minister Stravreski said on Wednesday.

"I believe that in the next months we will make additional efforts and to wrap up all activities..." he said. "Depending on details, it is yet to be determined when the Macedonian leg will be built, but it is important that Macedonia will be part of South Stream."