Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev arrived in Moscow to discuss gas. He will meet with Vladimir Putin today.
At the Energy Summit in Sofia last week, Bulgaria, one of the countries that was hardest hit by the Russian-Ukrainian gas conflict last winter, demanded that Gazprom grant it more favourable terms, guarantee gas supplies through alternative routes, increase transit rates, and propose clear-cut criteria for identifying the offending party in the event of interruptions in gas supply. The real victim of the discussion turned out to be a key Russian project, the South Stream, to which Bulgaria has yet to agree. It had been assumed that the agreement would be signed before the summit, but this did not happen. In fact, the main rival of the South Stream, Nabucco, may have gotten a new lease of life, judging from the approval expressed by some forum participants and the willingness of the European Union and United States to finance it. Incidentally, the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did not attend the summit, and Russia was represented by its Energy Minister, Sergei Shmatko.
Vladimir Putin and Sergei Stanishev met at Gostiny Dvor at the opening of the exhibition "Bulgaria Today". The event was part of the Year of Bulgaria in Russia. Nevertheless, Mr Putin spoke more about investments in general rather than about energy in particular. He stressed from the very start that bilateral cooperation was not confined to the Burgas-Alexanroupolis pipeline (intended to carry Russian and Kazakh oil), the Belene Nuclear Power Plant (which will include the construction of two Russian water-cooled and water-moderated nuclear reactors), and the South Stream.
The Russian Prime Minister described the level of Russian-Bulgarian investments as insufficient, saying that, "a lot has yet to be done in this area". Russia invests hundreds of millions of dollars in the Bulgarian economy, while Bulgarian investments stand at a mere 13 million dollars. This "absolutely does not match our potential", said the Russian Prime Minister, after which he invited his Bulgarian counterpart to contribute to the preparation of the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
"I hope that Bulgarian experts have something to contribute to this major infrastructure project", Mr Putin said.
He urged the need to develop inter-regional business ties between the two countries. "We would like to make use of all the positive achievements of our peoples over the previous decades in order to move forward, especially towards cooperation in high technology fields. We know that there is a lot of possibility in this area", the Russian Prime Minister concluded.
Mr Stanishev cited different, more positive statistics on investments. In 2009, mutual investment between Russia and Bulgaria increased by 30%, and the flow of tourists to Bulgarian seaside resorts has increased.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister was far more specific when delivering a lecture at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy.
Mr Stanishev reiterated Sofia's position on gas: Bulgaria needs both the South Stream and Nabucco to diversify its supply sources. During the gas crisis, when Ukraine shut off gas pipelines to Europe, Bulgaria probably suffered the most, losing 250 million euros. "It is necessary to pursue cooperation in this area, and not increase the harsh competition that may hinder the development of all projects," Mr Stanishev stressed. "The amount of gas that the EU will consume in the coming 20 to 30 years will grow. The EU will need additional gas supplies, including South Stream, Nabucco and other projects".
"Bulgaria's essential political objective is to make skilful and effective use of its geographical position and its reputation as a reliable partner," the Bulgarian Prime Minister explained. "The South Stream is an important and possible project, along with Nabucco, in which Bulgaria will participate. This is not a hostile act with regard to anyone, it is a natural desire to secure ourselves against future crises and challenges in the energy sphere", Mr Stanishev said.
Kira Latukhina
