8/7/2019 Russia in Pipeline War With Bulgaria

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Russia in pipeline war with Bulgaria1

Published: 17 June 2010

Gazprom, the Russian state-owned gas monopoly, has excluded Bulgaria from

its planned South Stream pipeline, apparently in retaliation to Sofia's decision toscrap an oil pipeline designed to circumvent the Bosphorus strait, the Russian

daily Kommersant writes today (17 June).

Kommersant has learned that the offshore section of the South Stream pipeline

would now be diverted to reach Romania instead of the Bulgarian port of Varna

as initially planned.

The intention is that the pipe would run across Romania instead of Bulgaria,

punishing Sofia for undelivered promises.

Plans to eliminate Bulgaria from South Stream were first reported by theRussian press last October (EurActiv 20/10/09) and were later confirmed in

February (EurActiv 19/02/10).

The final straw came with Bulgaria's surprise withdrawal from a Russia-

sponsored project for an oil connection running under the Black Sea.

Meeting with EU ambassadors in Sofia on 11 June, Bulgarian Prime Minister

Boyko Borissov announced Sofia's withdrawal from the Burgas-

Alexandroupolis oil pipeline.

The announcement came as a big surprise to observers, and even to the country's

energy minister, Traicho Traikov, who said he did not believe the statement was

true.

The planned pipeline, led by Russian firms, is designed to provide a short cut to

Greece's Aegean coast from the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, thereby relieving

tanker congestion in the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles.

Borissov explained that the decision was a result of environmental concerns, as

Bulgaria did not want an ecological disaster similar to the one affecting the US

in the Gulf of Mexico.

Greek leftist MPs commented that Bulgaria's decision was the result of US

political pressure. Forbes magazine also commented that the move had come

following a two-day visit to Sofia by CIA Director Leon Panetta, the result of

which was seen as a major geopolitical tilt by Bulgaria from Moscow to

Washington.

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http://www.euractiv.com/en/energy/russia-pipeline-war-bulgaria-news-495334?utm_source=EurActiv+Newsletter&utm_campaign=4fb44ebc09-

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http://www.euractiv.com/energy/bulgaria-ousted-russia-south-stream-pipe/article-186583http://www.euractiv.com/energy/gazprom-s-south-stream-romania-bulgaria-out-news-263855http://www.dnevnik.bg/bulgaria/2010/06/11/915563_bulgariia_zamraziava_belene_i_se_otkazva_ot_burgas_-/http://www.dnevnik.bg/sviat/2010/06/15/917676_grucki_deputati_reshenieto_za_burgas-aleksandrupolis_e/http://blogs.forbes.com/energysource/2010/06/14/is-bulgaria-tilting-from-moscow-to-washington/http://blogs.forbes.com/energysource/2010/06/14/is-bulgaria-tilting-from-moscow-to-washington/http://www.dnevnik.bg/sviat/2010/06/15/917676_grucki_deputati_reshenieto_za_burgas-aleksandrupolis_e/http://www.dnevnik.bg/bulgaria/2010/06/11/915563_bulgariia_zamraziava_belene_i_se_otkazva_ot_burgas_-/http://www.euractiv.com/energy/gazprom-s-south-stream-romania-bulgaria-out-news-263855http://www.euractiv.com/energy/bulgaria-ousted-russia-south-stream-pipe/article-186583

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