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Bulgaria has not set for itself the goal of becoming a key hub for gas produced by Russian energy giant Gazprom, according to a Russian daily.

Izvestiya quotes Bulgaria's Deputy Energy Minister Anton Pavlov as saying that Sofia would demand an extension to the so-called Turkish Stream gas pipeline which is to replace South Stream.

Russia requires construction licenses for at least two lines of the proposed Turkish Stream pipeline project, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Oct. 2.

The Turkish Stream pipeline replaces the cancelled South Stream project to carry Russian gas to Europe and Turkey via the Black Sea. At the moment, Europe gets a lot of its gas from Russia through Ukraine.

Britain pledged 2 billion ($3.1 billion) on Sept.21 for a nuclear plant set to be built in England by a consortium, including Chinese firms, which would be the country's first such new power station in decades.

Nearly 10 months ago, on Dec. 1, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised the world with the announcement of the cancellation of the South Stream Project, a pipeline to be constructed under the Black Sea and through Bulgaria to supply some 64 bcm natural gas to European countries.

Russian energy producer Gazprom on Sept. 7 denied rumors the Turkish Stream pipeline project had been cancelled by Turkey.

Alexander Medvedev, deputy chairman of the management committee at Gazprom, said the company agreed with Turkey to initially come to an agreement concerning branch 1 before looking at the other branches. 

Gazprom deputy head Alexander Medvedev has said the Turkish Stream project will initially be carried out only as a pipeline between Russia and Turkey.

This means only the first of four parallel lines that had been planned earlier will be constructed as a start, but it does not mean the energy giant has abandoned the idea to make deliveries to Russia, Medvedev has made clear.

Bulgaria is able to start building the cancelled South Stream gas pipeline project as early as tomorrow, the country's former Energy Minister Dragomir Stoynev said on Wednesday.

Bulgaria didn't quit the South Stream gas pipeline project, Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova has said.

Petkova is quoted by Focus News Agency as telling reporters that Sofia always perceived South Stream to be "a very important project", but it had to be realized in compliance with European law.

Russian President Vladimir Putin assured on Monday that Bulgaria's NATO membership would not mean an end to its relationship with Russia.

Putin noted that the decision to join NATO had already been taken and Russia respected the will of the sovereign Bulgarian people, TASS news agency informs.

Moscow has sent two offers to Ankara relating to the Turkish Stream project, apparently showing readiness to decouple the construction of a pipeline for gas deliveries to Turkey from the proposed pipes for transit of Russian gas to Europe.