EAST EUROPE SCRAMBLES FOR ENERGY AFTER PUTIN KILLS SOUTH STREAM

Europe is betting on the acceleration of the Southern Gas Corridor, which has been defined a key project along with the Vertical Corridor from Greece to Romania through Bulgaria.

The dramatic events that recently took place regarding the termination of South Stream and its replacement by the so-called 'Turk Stream' pipeline has caused shock throughout Bulgaria, which is already rife by public discontent against the current political and economic elite.

Shares in Vladimir Yevtushenkov’s Sistema Group fell more than 35 per cent this week, amid growing concern that Russian investigators will try to reclaim Rbs140bn ($2.7bn) in dividends that the group has received from its oil company Bashneft .

that would allow Russia to establish control over such a gas trading hub, former US ambassador to Azerbaijan, Director of the International Centre for Defense Studies in Tallinn, Matthew Bryza told Trend.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said Tuesday that "the freezing" of the South Stream pipeline project was a problem for Serbia.

The fallout from Russia's decision to abandon its ambitious South Stream pipeline deal continued Dec. 3, as Italian energy services firm Saipem announced that it would lose almost $2 billion because of Moscow's move

Bulgaria’s Government will do all it can to support the realisation of the South Stream gas pipeline project due to its immense economic importance and despite the infringement procedure against Sofia for suspected public procurement law breaches.

Demise of South Stream big setback for Putin. Russia’s deal with Turkey cannot be deemed a serious replacement.

Gazprom, the state gas company, has been at the forefront of Moscow’s push to expand its influence into the Balkans – a region beset with economic and political difficulties.