Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Marin Raykov held talks with Russian Ambassador Yuriy Isakov
15 April 2013 News
“Bulgaria and Russia are strategic partners and have a long-standing and special relationship,” Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Marin Raykov said at the meeting. He emphasised the importance of the South Stream project for Bulgaria and for the whole region.
“For the Bulgarian side, South Stream is an important energy project. We are approaching preparations for its implementation highly responsibly. For this reason, I have charged the Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism, Assen Vassilev, jointly with the Russian side, to exchange information on the details of the project,” the Prime Minister said.
He outlined Bulgaria’s priorities regarding the construction of the pipeline. “We will stand for the construction of the pipeline to be comprehensive and will cover all the design and construction of the route on the territory of Bulgaria, we shall insist on parity in hiring and transparency in the selection of a financial institution, as well as compliance with Bulgarian and European legislation on public procurement,” Bulgaria’s Prime Minister said.
Ambassador Isakov emphasised the importance of the project for the Russian Federation and expressed readiness for discussions on all details of the implementation of South Stream.