VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) — The Russian government is not considering the possibility of a gas pipeline construction under the Black Sea through Bulgaria, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Saturday.
"There is no ongoing discussion on Bulgaria, there is no [work on] the South Stream project," Novak told reporters at the Eastern Economic Forum.
8 August 2016, 12:43 GMT
The South Stream pipeline project was suspended by Bulgaria at the request of the European Commission in June 2014 as it was deemed non-compliant with the European Union's Third Energy Package, which prohibits companies from both owning the gas and operating the pipeline. Russian President Vladimir Putin officially canceled the project in December 2014.
In August, Bulgarian Prime Minsiter Boyko Borisov said that Sofia and Moscow could restart the South Stream negotiations. In response Putin demanded legal guarantees regarding the project's implementation from the European Commission to resume work.
