Serbian President, Boris Tadic, and Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, agreed on the route of the South Stream gas pipeline behind Gazprom’s back, the Russian newspaper Komersant writes Tuesday.

The article points out the two have decided the pipe would cross the border between their countries in the area of the Serbian town of Dimitrovgrad, despite Gazprom opposing this version because it lengthens the route and makes the Russian-funded project more expensive.

“Belgrade has always been interested in this route, but failed to convince Gazprom and now is making attempts to use Sofia to achieve its goal while the latter, until recently, blackmailed Moscow with refusals to partake in South Stream,” the author says.

The publication reminds that after informal talks in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Varna over the weekend between Tadic and Borisov, the Bulgarian PM reported they have discussed and agreed the South Stream route will pass through Dimitrovgrad per the desire of the Serbian side. Tadic, on his part, had guaranteed Serbia’s participation in Bulgaria’s project to build a second Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the Danube town of Belene, the article points out.

The author further explains the South Stream route through Serbia is yet to be finalized, but there had been an agreement between Moscow and Belgrade the pipe would enter the country at the town of Zaychar, about 100 km north of Dimitrovgrad. Serbia insists on Dimitrovgrad because this way the pipe will cross its entire territory, not just the southern parts, cutting off important locations such as the regional city of Nis.

It was reported in Russian press Monday that Russian PM, Vladimir Putin, made a phone call to his Bulgarian counterpart to thank him about Bulgarian help in extinguishing Moscow wildfires, but the two also talked about South Stream and Belene, something the press center of the Bulgarian cabinet failed to note.

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