MINISTER of Regional Development and Public Works Valentin Tserovski and Greek Development Minister Apostolos Tsochatzopoulos signed an intergovernmental memorandum on technical co-operation in the study and design of a Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline.
The signing ceremony took place last Wednesday in Athens and details were disclosed on Thursday.
The two sides agreed to brief the government of the Russian Federation on the signing of the document. Tserovski and Tsochatzopoulos voiced confidence that the document would also be signed by the Russian side.
Bulgaria was included in an agreement between Greece and Russia on the project on September 16, 1994. The oil pipeline is the first stage of a broader framework project on the transiting of crude oil. The pipeline will be 280 km long. The Bulgarian section is 166 km and will run through seven municipalities in South-eastern Bulgaria. Bulgaria, Greece and Russia have an equal participation in the project.
The memorandum gives political support to the project and the establishment of a trilateral consortium, which will build the oil pipeline, Tserovski said. After it is signed, negotiations will enter their business phase, which will be more difficult, according to Tserovski.
State support for participation in joint projects in the construction and operation of the future oil pipeline between Bulgaria and Greece was requested by the mayors of Bourgas and Alexandrou-polis in a letter, sent by Bourgas Mayor Ioan Kostadinov to Valentin Tserovski.
The project for the construction of the Bourgas-Alexandrou-polis oil pipeline was also on the agenda of last week's visit to Bulgaria of Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. Ivanov said that both Bulgaria and Russia are in favour of implementation of the project but it should be taken into account that Greece is also participating and consultations are ongoing.
The signing ceremony took place last Wednesday in Athens and details were disclosed on Thursday.
The two sides agreed to brief the government of the Russian Federation on the signing of the document. Tserovski and Tsochatzopoulos voiced confidence that the document would also be signed by the Russian side.
Bulgaria was included in an agreement between Greece and Russia on the project on September 16, 1994. The oil pipeline is the first stage of a broader framework project on the transiting of crude oil. The pipeline will be 280 km long. The Bulgarian section is 166 km and will run through seven municipalities in South-eastern Bulgaria. Bulgaria, Greece and Russia have an equal participation in the project.
The memorandum gives political support to the project and the establishment of a trilateral consortium, which will build the oil pipeline, Tserovski said. After it is signed, negotiations will enter their business phase, which will be more difficult, according to Tserovski.
State support for participation in joint projects in the construction and operation of the future oil pipeline between Bulgaria and Greece was requested by the mayors of Bourgas and Alexandrou-polis in a letter, sent by Bourgas Mayor Ioan Kostadinov to Valentin Tserovski.
The project for the construction of the Bourgas-Alexandrou-polis oil pipeline was also on the agenda of last week's visit to Bulgaria of Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. Ivanov said that both Bulgaria and Russia are in favour of implementation of the project but it should be taken into account that Greece is also participating and consultations are ongoing.
