Greece Sure Bulgaria Won't Renege on Burgas-Alexandroupolis Pipeline

Business » ENERGY | July 30, 2009, Thursday // 19:32
Bulgaria: Greece Sure Bulgaria Won't Renege on Burgas-Alexandroupolis Pipeline Greece is certain Bulgaria won't terminate the Burgas-Alexandroupolis project. Map by globalinsight.com

Greece's Minister of Development, Kostis Hatzidakis, has expressed his confidence that Bulgaria would not terminate its participation in the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project.

According to Hatzidakis, Bulgaria's new government of Boyko Borisov and the GERB party is set to keep the commitments that the Stanishev government made to Russia and Greece for the construction of the project, BTA reported.

The Greek Minister has expressed this position during a meeting with a Parliamentary Committee as he was tabling a bill aimed at accelerating the realization of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis project.

The bill includes the exact route of the pipeline, and the use of municipally owned plots of land during its construction on Greek territory.

Hatzidakis has told the Parliamentary Committee about the emerging rumors that the new Bulgarian government would not honor the commitment to the project but made it clear that the Greek government was following the matter closely, and had no reasons to believe that the project would fail.

"We believe that the signed agreement is valid as is the commitment made by all parties that signed it - Greece, Bulgaria, and Russia," the Minister is quoted as saying.

He also declared that the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline was a project of national importance for Greece that strengthened its geopolitical position and energy security, and would create 1 100 new jobs. Hatzidakis sought to assuage the fears of opposition MPs about the environmental consequences of the project.

The planned Russian-sponsored oil pipeline is supposed to transport Russian and Caspian oil from Bulgaria's Burgas to Greece's Alexandroupolis. Three Bulgarian Black Sea municipalities - Burgas, Pomorie, and Sozopol - have voted against the pipe in local referendums over environmental concerns.

 

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Tags: Burgas Alexandroupolis Oil Pipeline, greece, Burgas, Russia, Black Sea

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