SOFIA: Bulgaria and Turkey will sign a political accord to back the construction of a pipeline aimed to link the gas systems of the two neighbours and allow Caspian natural gas flows to Europe, Bulgarian energy minister said on Saturday.
European Union's Bulgaria, which gets almost all of its gas through one route from Russia's Gazprom is trying to diversify both suppliers and routes by building gas links with its Balkan neighbours Turkey, Greece, Romania and Serbia.
"Bulgaria and Turkey will sign a political accord which will state that the project is of strategic importance for both countries," Energy Minister Traikov said after meeting his Turkish counterpart Taner Yildiz in Istanbul.
"Bulgarian-Turkish gas link, along with the interconnect or gas link with Greece, will allow Caspian gas supplies to our country and the region as well as cheaper shipments from a liquefied natural gas terminal," he said.
The planned 77-km link will have a capacity to transport up to 3 billion cubic metres (bcm) a year, with an option to double it, Traikov said in a statement.
Sofia has said it is stepping up building gas links to neighbouring countries after a gas dispute between Moscow and Kiev left it without gas for over a week in the winter of 2009.
Traikov said earlier this week the gas link with Greece will become operational first and could be used to transport Azeri natural gas to Bulgaria from 2014.
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