Bulgaria’s Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova and Slovakia’s Economy Minister Vazil Hudak confirmed the political support of the two countries for the Eastring gas pipeline project and discussed the next steps towards its implementation.

During a meeting with Hudak on Wednesday, Petkova explained that the Bulgarian government gave priority treatment to guaranteeing energy security and achieving gas supply diversification, according to the press office of Bulgaria’s Energy Ministry.

She claimed that the inclusion of the project in the 10-year network development plan of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG) testified to its importance.

Hudak noted that apart from diversification, Eastring also provided an opportunity for Bulgaria to make profits from gas transit fees.

The two ministers agreed that it was necessary to create a working group tasked with sorting out the technical detail related to the implementation of the gas pipeline project.

The first meeting of this working group is expected to take place in September in Bratislava.

Eastring participating countries are to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to solidify the support for the project on a political level.

Eastring is a project aimed at connecting the existing gas infrastructure of Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.

The four countries involved in Eastring signed a joint declaration on the implementation of the gas pipeline project in Riga on May 21, 2015.