President Plevneliev Says Unfreezing of South Stream Tied to Russia-EU Dialogue

"To me it is more than clear that the unlocking of South Stream [is tied to] the EU's negotiations with Russia," Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev has said.

In his view it is not clear whether Bulgaria would have lost or won from the South Stream. 

Plevneliev was the first to officially comment on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin's announcement of Monday evening that the South Stream gas pipeline project would come to a halt due to Bulgaria's decision to freeze it. 

South Stream is not a project between Russia and Bulgaria, but between Russia and the EU, Focus News Agency quoted Bulgaria's head of state as saying.

"A decision on South Stream might only be adopted within the Russia-EU framework. The states interested in South Stream have carried out very substantial preparation and have authorized the European Commission to carry out negotiations with the Russian leadership in order to take a decision on this project," Plevneliev added.