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Bulgaria not going to quit South Stream project

SOFIA, December 12 (Itar-Tass) - Bulgaria will not quit the project for laying the South Stream pipeline across its territory, as the project is bound to create thousands of new jobs and yield economic benefit, thereby spurring growth, Bulgarian National Radio quotes Bulgarian Minister of Economy and Energy Dragomir Stoynev as saying Thursday in Brussels.

The statement followed a meeting with the EU Commissioner for Energy Gnther Oettinger. His spokeswoman Marlene Holzner said December 5 the agreement between Russian gas exporter Gazprom and the EU countries did not comply with the European law and needed adaptation.

Stoynev believes the European Commission plays a major role in the talks with the Russian side. He added Bulgaria also felt support from Slovenia, Hungary and Austria, and Oettinger should protect the interests of all the EU members.

The South Stream pipeline project, led by Russia's monopolist gas exporter Gazprom will have a capacity great enough to deliver 63 billion cubic meters across the Black Sea to Southern and Central Europe, aiming to diversify natural gas transportation routes and ease reliance on gas transiting countries. South Stream will stretch 540.8 kilometers through Bulgaria from the Black Sea (port Vrna) in the east to the border with Serbia in the west. The Bulgarian section began to be laid on October 31.