About 300 protesters gathered on February 10 at the protest meeting against the construction of the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline.

The protest was organised by the Initiative Committee to save Bourgas Bay ahead of the referendum on February 17, mediapool.bg said.

Ivan Slavov, Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), read an open letter by actor Toncho Tokmakchiev, who was born in Bourgas, calling on people to vote in the referendum against the construction of the pipeline and to not believe suggestions that their vote doesn't matter, mediapool.bg said.

"Be united, explicit and decisive on February 17 in your firm "No" which should reverberate over the yellow pavement and the white columns of the Cabinet and the the National Assembly," head of the municipal council Valeri Simeonov told protesters.

According to Angel Bozhidarov, of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), in the EU "governments honour referendums and the opinion of citizens"

Meanwhile the company that will construct the pipeline, Trans Balkan Pipeline BV - has been registered in the Netherlands. On the invitation by the company, a large group of local officials, non-governmental organisations and journalists were on a visit to Russia, where they would see the terminal for loading the petrol in the harbour of Primorsk, mediapool.bg said.