Eastring Could Diversify Supplies - Slovakia's Ambassador

The proposed Eastring pipeline linking Slovakia and Bulgaria could successfully solve the issue of diversification of supplies, Slovakian Ambassador to Bulgaria Mari?n Jakub?cy has said.

The pipeline would link Slovakia with the Balkans and existing gas pipelines in Ukraine, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania to the planned Balkan gas hub near Bulgaria’s Black Sea port of Varna.

Jakub?cy has pointed out that Eastring will link two liquid markets - those of Germany and Turkey - and transport gas both ways.

Gas could come from Turkey, Russia or Germany, but also from Poland, after the latter country completes is gas link with Slovakia, Jakub?cy has said, his words coming days after a Bulgarian-Slovakian agreement for future gas supplies via the pipeline.

The Ambassador has been interviewed by Standart newspaper as his country is stepping into its term as the President of the Council of the EU which began on July 01.

He has made clear his country doesn't know whether Britain will trigger Article 50 to start its withdrawal from the EU during a EU summit scheduled for September in Bratislava. However, he has added the EU will become "weaker" in the event of "Britain really leaving".

Commenting on Slovak investment into Bulgaria, he has admitted their volume is small, and the amounts vice versa are "near zero".

Jakub?cy, however, has made clear the two countries could cooperate in the ICT sector, recalling the visit of President Andrej Kiska to Sofia where he attended the opening of Sofia Tech Park late last year.

Reiterating that Bulgaria and Romania have already fulfilled the criteria to join Schengen, the Ambassador has extended Slovakia's gratitude to Bulgaria for "keeping the EU's external border". He has made clear the question of Schengen enlargement will be raised at a meeting of EU ministers in Bratislava this month.

Between eighty and ninety thousand Slovaks visit Bulgaria every year, he has also said, adding the country ranks "third or fourth" among Slovakia's preferred tourism destinations.

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