Serbian, Bulgarian Presidents Open Construction of Gas Pipeline to Diversify Supplies
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his Bulgarian counterpart, Rumen Radev, opened on Wednesday the construction of a gas pipeline designed to carry supplies from Azerbaijan, Greece and other sources alternative to Russia
BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st February, 2023) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his Bulgarian counterpart, Rumen Radev, opened on Wednesday the construction of a gas pipeline designed to carry supplies from Azerbaijan, Greece and other sources alternative to Russia.
Earlier in the day, Vucic arrived in the town of Kostinbrod near Sofia for a ceremony in honor of the start of the pipeline's construction. The event was attended by the Bulgarian president, Ambassador of the European Union to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret and other senior officials.
"We were glad that for the first time we had received more money from Europe: a grant of 49 million Euros ($53 million) and another 25 million euros financed by the European Investment Bank. And, then, they say - 218 million to the Bulgarians! Rumen, we cannot even dream of getting so much (money) for energy infrastructure. Maybe one day there will be (something) for us, Serbs," Vucic said at the ceremony, which was aired by the Tanjug news agency.
He also expressed his hope that by the end of the year, gas would be supplied through the gas pipeline not only to Serbia and Bulgaria, but also to all the countries of the region.
In late October, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen together with Vucic inspected the construction of the Serbian section of the pipeline near the city of Nis, 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Belgrade. The Serbian authorities earlier announced their plan to purchase 1.4 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan in 2023 and supply it through the connecting gas pipeline with Bulgaria. The construction of the Serbian section, which will cost 90 billion euros, began on February 1. The gas pipeline's capacity will amount to over 1.8 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
Currently, Russia is the only supplier of natural gas to Serbia. Belgrade, under a two-year contract with Gazprom, has secured about 2.2 billion cubic meters of gas per year, which is 62% of its annual demand.