There are good prospects for renewal of negotiations on the South Stream gas pipeline project, Russian permanent envoy to the EU Vladimir Chizhov has announced.

TASS news agency quotes him as saying in a video conference call from Brussels, that, "in light of the need for Russian gas in the EU, there are such opportunities."

"As long as countries participating in this project are interested, we will consider it," Chizhov has noted.

"Different forces" exist in the EU, some of them genuinely willing to work for the realization of South Stream and others finding it most important to reduce the dependence on Russian energy resources, the latter bringing the situation to levels of "absurd", he has explained.

Chizhov's remarks add mystery to contradicting reports about the fate of South Stream, an abandoned pipeline project.

South Stream was to deliver gas to Central Europe via Bulgaria and Serbia, but was dropped by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December, with the head of state citing EU opposition to the project.

Brussels then insisted South Stream did not conform to the so-called Third Energy Package which bans the supplier of gas from also owning the infrastructure and having exclusive access to it.

Since December 2014, reports have suggested that the project might be renewed only to be refuted later.

Russian media last week quoted a Deputy Energy Minister as saying Bulgaria was actively seeking the continuation of South Stream, but Bulgaria denied.

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