MOSCOW, September 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s Gazprom said on Thursday it expected to receive Bulgaria’s permission for building the South Stream gas pipeline after parliamentary elections in that country on October 5.

“South Stream has not yet been suspended. There were only the talks on its removal from the Third Energy Package. Bulgaria has suspended the issuance of licenses needed for the construction of South Stream. But we expect to receive the permission after October 5,” Alexander Syromyatin, deputy head of Gazprom’s department for project management, said.

Gazprom is also waiting for Belgrade’s permission for building the Serbian section of the pipeline and hoping to get it by September 20, the official said.

In August, Bulgaria’s interim Minister of Economy and Energy Vassil Shtonov signed a letter addressed to the Bulgarian Energy Holding which forbade it to make any related contracts and urged it to provide every assistance to the European Commission in bringing the project in line with the European legislation.

“The project will be suspended until it meets the European Commission’s requirements,” the minister said. “All parties involved must understand that the project should be implemented by European rules,” Shtonov said. He hopes that “progress will be made in the next two months”.