The Bulgarian-Greek gas connector, through which Bulgaria already receives Azeri natural gas, was officially launched in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on Saturday in the presence of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
“This pipeline is a game changer. It is a game changer for Bulgaria and for Europe’s energy security. And it means freedom. It means freedom from dependency on Russian gas” said von der Leyen in a speech to the opening ceremony.
Noting that Bulgaria used to receive 80 percent of its gas from Russia, she said, “That was before Russia decided to launch an atrocious war against Ukraine and an energy war against Europe.” “Indeed, the interconnector could cover the entire gas consumption of Bulgaria. This is really great news in very difficult times.
“Both here in Bulgaria and across Europe, people are feeling the consequences of Russia’s war. But thanks to projects like this, Europe will have enough gas for the winter,” said von der Leyen.
She added that the EU has supported this project from the very first day, politically but also financially, with round about 250 million euro (USD 245 million).
The presidents of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, the prime ministers of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis and of Romania – Nicolae Ciuca were also present at the inaugural ceremony.
Source: Kuwait Times
