Sofia lays down law on South Stream

SOFIA, Bulgaria, April 27 (UPI) -- Russian energy giant Gazprom must respect the national rights of Bulgaria when making deals concerning regional energy security, officials said.

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov lashed out at Gazprom following a two-day energy summit in Sofia, reminding the energy giant that Bulgaria would use its own gas transit systems to complement the Russian gas pipeline, South Stream, not act as an extension of Russian gas networks.

"I request that Gazprom should not determine with whom they can be keeping in contact in Bulgaria, pretty please," he told the Sofia News Agency. "Gazprom has to respect our sovereignty."

South Stream would carry around 1.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas to European markets each year along a route passing through the Balkans.

Parvanov noted that Sofia held firm to its position that Moscow move on a comprehensive energy package that honors demands for lower gas prices as part of the South Stream project, the Sofia News Agency reports.

He stressed, however, that South Stream would contribute to European goals to diversify its regional energy transit network.

"It's high time that (the European Union) realized that South Stream must have its place in the European energy system because it involves several EU member states as partners and is executed by several EU companies," he said.