Russia prefers South Stream pipeline over Blue Stream II

Russia is pushing ahead plans to construct the South Stream pipeline with the participation of Greece, which will carry Russian gas to Europe, a Russian diplomat said in Athens on October 29. "We are moving ahead with the South Stream pipeline. As far as Blue Stream II, I haven’t heard anything about it. It may happen, but not at the expense of Greece," Russian Ambassador to Athens Andrey Vdovin told New Europe at the Turkish Embassy in Athens on October 29.

Author: Kostis Geropoulos
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, at an unscheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul on June 25, backed the project of Russia, Italy and Bulgaria to build the South Stream project and confirmed his country’s interest in it.
The 900-kilometre South Stream pipeline project between Russian gas giant Gazprom and Italian group ENI will strengthen a long-standing partnership between Greece and Russia.
Meanwhile, Vdovin also highlighted relations between Ankara and Moscow on occasion of the Turkish National Day. "Russia has very good relations with Turkey. Greece also needs to improve relations with Turkey, they are okay, but they could get better," Vdovin said.
Gazprom, which already pumps gas to Turkey through the Blue Stream pipeline across the Black Sea, is also considering the construction of Blue Stream II, which would use Turkey as a transit point for exports to the EU.
The Blue Stream pipeline, which carries Russian natural gas to Turkey, is the largest Russian-Turkish joint energy project to date. Like Blue Stream, South Stream will start from Russia's Black Sea coast at Beregovayas and then run 900 kilometres under the Black Sea to Bulgaria.

09.11.2007