05-05-06
Ensuring the construction of the
Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline stays on schedule is a priority for Bulgaria, as
it is for Greece, Bulgarian Prime Minister SergeiStanishev said.
Stanishev made the remarks in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on the
sidelines of the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) summit meeting.
Stanishev said both Bulgarian and Greek governments hope to setup an
international company as soon as possible to undertake the construction of the
pipeline. Stanishev stressed the importance of the project for both countries
economically and politically, including their energy security.
In Thessaloniki, the foreign ministers of Bulgaria and Greece discussed the
issue of the Bulgarian government’s reported withdrawal from the Bulgarian
consortium for the construction of the pipeline.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister and Deputy Premier Ivailo Kalfin said the
government's interest in the project remained "steadfast and undiminished"
despite the unexpected collapse a few days ago of a consortium of Bulgarian
firms participating in the three-nation project.
Kalfin said the developments will not delay but "accelerate work to complete the
project."
Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis told she had received assurances from
the Bulgarian prime minister and the foreign minister that the project would go
ahead as planned. The next meeting by all the three sides involved in the
project -- Russia, Bulgaria and Greece -- is due to be held later this month in
Moscow, although no date has been fixed yet.
Bulgaria, Greece and Russia signed an agreement in April, 2005 to build the
285-km-long Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline that will allow Russia to export oil
to Europe through the Black Sea, bypassing the busy Bosporus Strait in Turkey.
Source: Xinhua