Greece, Russia and Bulgaria to Sign Pact (Also by pass Ukraine & Poland-- Southern Option)

Associated Press ^ | Thursday April 7, 10:19 am ET

[jb6]

Greece, Russia and Bulgaria to Sign Oil Pipeline Agreement Next Week, Official Says

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- The governments of Greece, Russia and Bulgaria will sign a multimillion dollar (euro) agreement next week for the construction of a trans-Balkan oil pipeline, a Greek official said Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT

The 285-kilometer-long (177-mile-long) pipeline -- linking Bulgaria's port of Burgas to Greece's Alexandroupolis on the Aegean Sea -- will allow Russia to export oil through the Black Sea while bypassing the busy Bosporus Strait in Turkey.

"The governments of Russia, Bulgaria and Greece agreed to sign the memorandum and the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline," Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas said at a news conference attended by the ambassadors of Russia and Bulgaria.

"It is a historic moment," Sioufas said. The signing will take place April 12 in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.

Greece's Development Ministry said in January that Russia's TNK-BP would coordinate construction of the euro522 million (US$671 million) pipeline, which has a planned annual capacity of 15 million metric tons (16.53 U.S. tons) once the first stage of construction is completed, 24 million tons (26.46 U.S. tons) after second stage is done, and 35 million tons (38.58 U.S. tons) when the project is finished.

"The three governments express their strong political will, conviction and support for the need to carry out the project," Sioufas said.

[Lukasz]

(Also by pass Ukraine & Poland-- Southern Option)

No, as author mentioned, they want to build this pipeline to avoid Turkey (which hoped for similar pipeline in the Turkish European part). This is true, that this pipeline is a alternative way for Ukraine, but before this oil avoided Ukraine anyway (Turkish straits). Poland has nothing to do here, because this is oil for southern Europe.