Energy Projects in Focus of Bulgarian, Russian Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

Energy projects involving the EU and Russia would develop according to European regulations, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister said after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Sochi, Bulgarian public radio broadcaster BNR reported on Friday.

Mitov and Lavrov were in Sochi for the 34th meeting of the Council of the foreign ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

Daniel Mitov also held separate meetings with his Turkish and Moldovan counterparts, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Andrei Galbur.

Friday’s meeting between Mitov and Lavrov was the first one between the foreign ministers of Bulgaria and Russia in two years.

At the meeting, Mitov has raised most of the “open issues” in bilateral relations as well as “problematic moments”, with focus on the energy sector, according to BNR.

Energy projects between Russia and EU Member States will have to develop but the process must evolve in line with EU rules and under projects endorsed by the European Commission, Mitov has said in an apparent reference to Moscow’s decision to cancel the South Stream gas pipeline project in 2014 over objections from the EU executive.

The meeting between Mitov and Lavrov took place two days after Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and European Council President Donald Tusk discussed the future of three large energy projects related to Bulgaria: South Stream, the Belene nuclear power plant project and the construction of gas hub Balkan.

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