Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov, opening the energy summit he convened in Sofia on April 24 2009, said that he hoped that the gathering would serve as a catalyst for dialogue.

Hopes that the summit would be a high-level gathering of heads of state and government evaporated as key leaders such as Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin stayed away. Putin’s absence was caused by differences between Moscow and Sofia over the signing by Bulgaria of an agreement on the South Stream gas pipeline project.

The April 24 and 25 forum, entitled "Natural Gas for Europe. Security and Partnership", is intended as a crucial dialogue towards securing energy co-operation and diversity in Europe’s future.

The meeting is being attended by representatives of 30 countries and institutions from South Eastern Europe, the Black Sea and Caspian regions, Central Asia, EU countries, the US, Russia, Egypt, Qatar, the European Commission and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Purvanov said that long-term prospects for natural gas extraction in the long term were grim, and that supplies were not expected to last beyond about 60 to 70 years at current rates of consumption.

Similarly, there were problems with natural gas transit because the network was old and needed renovation, while there was an insufficient number of gas storage depots.

He called for flexibility in contracts, competitiveness in the market and the establishment of an independent regulatory body.

Purvanov said that the South Stream and Nabucco pipeline projects required clear political will and identification as priorities.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that the EU had coped well with the January 2009 gas crisis but this crisis should not be repeated and there should be flexibility in gas supplies. The EU was investing in Bulgaria’s energy security, Barroso said.

Bulgaria, effectively completely dependent on Russian natural gas, was severely affected by the cutoff of supplies during the January standoff between Russia and Ukraine.

Nabucco is Europe's option for gas supply via the Southern corridor, Jerremy Ellis of RWE said on April 24 at an energy business forum being held in Sofia in parallel with the natural gas forum. In his words, now is the time to make a decision to build the pipeline, because investors could not wait forever, Bulgarian news agency BTA said.