Greece, Macedonia, Sergia, Hungary and Austria might be included into the route of the so-called "Turkish Stream" pipeline project, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak has said.

Novak explained in an interview with Rossiya-24 TV channel on Tuesday that Moscow is leading active talks with countries where infrastructure for the gas pipeline could be laid.

"I know there are many countries with which we have negotiated are very interested in the construction of this infrastructure. In particular, such a route is possible: gas deliveries from Turkey via Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary to Austria - Baumgartner," Novak announced.

In his words, part of the route could coincide with the one planned for the abandoned South Stream project.

Turkish Stream was announced in December as a substitute to South Stream, a pipeline designed to carry gas via Bulgaria to Central Europe which Russia dropped in December over EU opposition and Bulgaria's reluctance to issue construction permits. The original idea of Turkish Stream was to deliver gas to Turkey from where European countries could also be supplied via a gas distribution center at the border with Greece.

"Today we are carrying out active negotiations with the countries on whose territory the infrastructure could be laid. But firstly I would like to underline that this is a task that the European Union, the EU Commission... must solve alone," RIA Novosti agency quotes him as saying.

He added the Commission should decide "for itself" how infrastructure should be developed "so that Europe once again is secured with gas supplies."

Novak's comments come a week after a meeting in Budapest, Hungary, where officials from Turkey and all the abovementioned countries except for Austria agreed to cooperate actively in the field of energy and to work to bring Turkish Stream to reality in their countries.

Earlier this week Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller declared Europe should have the infrastructure to receive gas from Turkish Stream in place by 2019, when transit deliveries via Ukraine might be stopped.

Meanwhile Novak is due to visit Serbian capital Belgrade in May, and the possibility of Serbia hosting a Turkish Stream section is widely expected to be on the agenda.

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