Athens lauds Russian pipelines

ATHENS, Greece, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- The Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline and South Stream gas pipeline would be beneficial to southern Europe, said Greek President Karolos Papoulias.

Papoulias spoke during the welcoming of his Bulgarian counterpart, Georgi Parvanov, for an official meeting in Athens.

Papoulias said both projects would make the region a major player in the energy sector, RIA Novosti reports.

Greece and Bulgaria "could become the main hubs of energy supplies to Europe, international players in the energy sector," he said.

Burgas-Alexandroupolis is designed to bring more than 100 million barrels of Russian and Caspian oil from the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea along an overland route. South Stream would bring 2.2 trillion cubic feet of Russian natural gas to European markets per year along a route through the Balkans.

Both projects are part of a Russian effort to diversify its transit options in Europe. Papoulias praised Russia for its leadership in the energy sector, the report said.

"Greece, Bulgaria and Russia have a very close cooperation in the energy sector," he said. "This cooperation is in our interests."