SOFIA, October 30 /TASS/. The South Stream gas pipeline construction is a priority for Bulgaria and Austria, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev and his Austrian counterpart Heinz Fischer told a news conference after talks held on Thursday.

The Austrian president is paying an official visit to Bulgaria. He is expected to meet Georgi Bliznashki, Bulgaria’s caretaker prime minister, and parliament Speaker Tsetska Tsacheva. Fischer will also attend a meeting of the Bulgarian-Austrian business forum.

“We actively support the South Stream project as an opportunity to diversify gas supply routes to Southeast and Central Europe. I have informed President Fischer that Bulgaria has political consensus on the South Stream construction,” Plevneliev stressed.

“Unfortunately, the European Commission has frozen the project at the moment,” the Bulgarian leader said, adding a correct dialogue with the newly-appointed European Commission could persuade it to change its mind on the South Stream and give a green light to resuming its construction.

For his part, Heinz Fischer said the South Stream gas pipeline would run through the territories of countries that are EU and NATO members.

“We expect a reasonable solution to be found. The North Stream already exists. We need to build the South Stream for the purpose of diversification,” Fischer stressed.