Électricité de France

"Turkish Stream quotes taken out of context"

BELGRADE -- The cabinet of the Serbian president on Friday denied that Tomislav Nikolic told Interfax it would be "impossible" to build Turkish Stream in Serbia.

Serbia "will not get gas from Turkish Stream"

MOSCOW -- President Tomislav Nikolic has said that he thinks the construction of the gas pipeline Turkish Stream is not possible through Serbia.

Nikolic believes that for this reason, Serbia will not receive gas from that direction.

It has been more than five months since Turkey and Russia announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to build a new pipeline called the Turkish Stream, which would supply natural gas to some southern European countries after Russian President Vladimir Putin canceled the South Stream project in reaction to the European Union. 

Gazprom's Turkish Stream gas pipeline project could become a strong incentive for Turkey and Greece to improve their bilateral relations, a senior Russian diplomat has said.

Bulgaria has received no notice of termination for the South Stream gas pipeline project so far, according to Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova.

In a Saturday interview for the Bulgarian National Radio she said that the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project, which was proposed as an alternative to South Stream, would be costlier due to the re-routing.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, in the joint press conference with the Romanian and the Serbian Prime Ministers in Craiova on Friday, said that South Stream should have been built without the EU's third energy package and that there currently isn't any contract signed by Bulgaria or Russia.

By Renee Maltezou & Angeliki Koutantou

Greece held "constructive" talks with the head of Russian gas giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM) who visited Athens on Tuesday and hopes that the two sides would soon reach a deal on a pipeline that will bring Russian gas to Europa via its territory.

Moscow has not proposed to Athens to make advanced payment for the construction of a "Greek leg" of the so-called "TUrkish Stream" pipeline, the Kremlin says.

Greece, Macedonia, Sergia, Hungary and Austria might be included into the route of the so-called "Turkish Stream" pipeline project, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak has said.

Novak explained in an interview with Rossiya-24 TV channel on Tuesday that Moscow is leading active talks with countries where infrastructure for the gas pipeline could be laid.

French President Francois Hollande has said he would like to see French companies fully engaged in the process of diversification of Bulgaria's energy supplies.

Speaking after a meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov in Paris on Tuesday, Hollande said he and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls would be willing to see Electricite de France (EDF) being present in Bulgaria.