MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/. Serbia is going to start the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline at the end of 2014, Serbian Ambassador to Russia Slavenko Terzic said on Friday.

“South Stream is the project of Serbia’s national priority. This is the exclusively important project not only for our country, but also for Southern Europe,” Terzic said. “We expect the construction to start at the end of this year,” he said, adding that he was informed about Bulgaria’s doubts on this issue.

Terzic explained that Bulgaria waited for the election results. Then it will make a decision. “We hope that it will be in favor of South Stream,” he said.

Serbia will not join sanctions imposed on Russia, Terzic stressed at a press conference. “At the present moment, the Serbian leadership put it clearly that the country will not join sanctions against Russia,” the diplomat noted.

South Stream is Russian Gazprom's global infrastructure project designed to build a gas pipeline with a capacity of 63 billion cubic meters across the Black Sea to southern and central Europe, diversifying export routes and eliminating transit risks.

South Stream construction started in late 2012. First deliveries are due in 2016. The pipeline is expected to become fully operational in 2018.