'Bulgaria, South Stream Want Each Other, Prick Each Otner, "Dad" Does Not Allow'

Bulgaria's "Mom" Brussels and its "Dad" Washington had warned Bulgaria to suspend its funding if it allows South Stream on its soil, Russian news agency RIA wrote on Friday.

"Bulgaria has more than once changed its decision whether or not to let South Stream on its territory. "Mom" and "Dad" did not allow: Brussels and Washington threatened to suspend every kind of funding to the country. Subsequently the Bulgarian government changed, not without the participation of benefactors from the EU and the US," Svetlana Kholodnova argues a few days after Russia abandoned the South Stream pipeline project.

Sofia listened to its "patrons" regardless of the multi-billion profit it could have head, "renouncing" South Stream, she also believes.

Now that Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov actually hopes the project will be renewed, "the train is gone, and it is not clear if Sofia could talk the project's "locomotive" - Russia - in returning back to work on it."

Kholodnova also wonders "why did Europe get so alarmed as soon as the project was stopped?" She hints Europeans could be afraid Kiev might turn out to be an "unfair" partner. Citing a recent analysis by rating agency Fitch which argued the pipeline was abandoned due to a dropping demand in Europe, the author says if Europe does not need South Stream, the same goes for Russia. "If you don't like it, don't eat it," Kholodnova concludes.