MARIBOR (Slovenia), July 08. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia hopes the European Commission, the European Union’s executive body, will make proper decisions for implementation of the South Stream gas pipeline project, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after a meeting on Tuesday with Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec.

Lavrov said Moscow hopes for resumption of dialogue with the European Commission on South Stream.

“The Russian Federation would like all countries that signed South Stream agreements to continue participating in the project,” Lavrov said.

He said attempts to “retrospectively use the requirements of the Third Energy Package regarding South Stream are unfair and out of line with international law.

 

Bulgaria suspends South Stream

After talks with US senators on June 8, Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski ordered the construction of the South Stream project to be suspended. The EU authorities ordered a freeze on the project.

“After additional consultations with Brussels we’ll determine further works,” he said.

Last Thursday, June 5, Serbia announced it had no plans to delay the start of construction, scheduled for July, over the pressure from the EU.

The South Stream project has faced a number of problems since relations between Russia and Europe soured over Ukraine.

Gazprom said it could complete the South Stream pipeline without international funding.

 

South Stream project

South Stream is a strategic project for Europe's energy security and should be implemented by the end of 2015. Work is currently underway to draft a feasibility study for the marine section across the Black Sea and the surface section running through transit countries.

The overall capacity of the marine section of the pipeline will be 63 billion cubic meters per year. It is worth about €8.6 billion.