Putin Says Russia Ready to Extend Turkish Stream Pipeline to Bulgaria

Russian president Vladimir Putin said his country is ready to discuss with the European Union alternative options to the South Stream gas pipeline project, including an extension of the planned Turkish Stream pipeline to Bulgaria, Moscow-based media reported  on Wednesday.

"We are ready to build it [Turkish Stream] in a volume enough to supply gas via Turkey to the European Union," state-run news agency ITAR-TASS quoted Putin as saying. "If it is possible from the logistics point of view, we are ready to go further to Bulgaria - the European Commission is already asking us to do that; we are ready to go to Greece."

Russia will be guided by considerations of logistics in choosing partners in this project - "where it will be more economical, more profitable," he added.

The Russian president also said Russia had never dropped South Stream-related plans. "We simply were forced to close this project, they [the EU] did not let us implement it," he commented.