MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Bulgaria and Slovakia have signed an agreement for future gas supplies to the Balkan country via the proposed Eastring pipeline, Bulgarian media reported.
According to the Novonite news agency, the agreement was signed by major gas pipeline operators of the two countries, Bulgartransgaz and Eustream, in Sofia on Thursday. Under the agreement, the sides are due to work jointly to provide EU financing for the project.
The document was signed on the sidelines of the June 9-10 Gas Infrastructure Europe Annual Conference in Sofia, the agency said.
19 February 2015, 09:56 GMT
The Eastring pipeline project was initiated by Slovakia in 2014, when Russia halted the implementation of the South Stream project, which was intended to traverse the Black Sea to deliver Russian natural gas through Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia to Italy and Austria to avoid exporting gas through Ukraine.
The Eastring will connect Slovakia with the Balkan countries, as well as with the existing gas pipelines in Ukraine, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and gas distribution unit, which is due to be built near the Bulgarian city of Varna.
