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Bulgaria warns Russia on oil pipeline ecology
03 Nov 2009 14:40:52 GMT
 Source: Reuters
SOFIA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Bulgaria will walk out of a Russian-backed trans-Balkan oil pipeline project if Moscow fails to provide guarantees the link would not damage Black Sea beaches, Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said on Tuesday.

In 2007, Bulgaria agreed with Russia and Greece to build the pipeline due to carry Russian crude oil from the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Burgas to the Greek port of Alexandroupolis to bypass the traffic-clogged Bosphorus Straits.

But the new centre-right cabinet, which won July elections, has put on review Bulgaria's commitments to Russian-backed major energy projects to see whether they matched national interests, and were environment-friendly and economically viable.

The residents of Burgas and nearby Black Sea resort towns have held a series of protests opposing the project, which they fear may cause serious environmental damage to the coast and scare away holiday makers, their main livelihood.

"The oil pipeline Burgas-Alexandroupolis will not be built unless full guarantees for the environment are found," Borisov told reporters on the sidelines of a business forum.

Borisov said he had informed Moscow and Athens that the project would not start until conditions that are acceptable to the people of the Burgas region were agreed upon.

The previous Socialist-led government has largely ignored concerns and stressed that the project, estimated to cost 1.0 billion euros, was of strategic importance and would bring Bulgaria closer to becoming a major energy hub.

The new cabinet is also reviewing plans to build a new 2,000 megawatt nuclear plant with Russian reactors as well as its participation in Russian Gazprom's South Stream gas pipeline project due to bring gas under the Black Sea to southeast Europe.

Analysts said the reviews showed Borisov's administration aimed to pull Bulgaria away from Russia's influence and demonstrate closer ties with the European Union, which is trying to reduce its dependence on Russian energy. (Reporting by Irina Ivanova)


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Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev speaks as he visits the crisis centre of the Emergencies Ministry in Moscow November 3, 2009. REUTERS/Mikhail Metzel/Pool (RUSSIA POLITICS DISASTER) ...


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Last updated:Tue Nov 3 14:44:03 2009