Bulgarian, Russian Side Discuss Establishment of Gus Hub in Bulgaria

Bulgaria and Russia discussed the establishment of a gas hub in Bulgaria. This happened within the Bulgarian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation in Sofia, Bulgarian Economy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova and Sergey Gerasimov, Co-Chairperson of the Committee, said at the news conference on Thursday.

"We presented our position on the establishment of a gas distribution centre on Bulgaria's territory and the advantages of the project," Petkova said. The Russian side is informed that the project has been submitted to the European Commission as it should fully correspond to the EU legislation and comply with the Third Liberalization Package.

The Russian partners are considered as a possible supplier of natural gas for the hub, Petkova said, adding that after consideration of the legal and technical aspects, all interested parties, including the Russian side, will be familiarized with the results.

On his part, Gerasimov said that the project was discussed in detail and that the Russian side is interested in it. "We refrain from more serious optimism due to the lack of coordinated documents by the European Commission," he noted. As he put it, the Commission should approved a series of technical documents, without which it would be difficult to proceed with the project. However, if an approval is given, this will promote efficient cooperation.