Natural gas security summit kicks off in Sofia despite Putin boycott

The summit "Natural Gas for Europe: Security and Partnership" brings together gas suppliers from the Caspian region, Central Asia and the Middle East, and transit countries and gas consumers from the Balkans and the EU.

The absence of a key player - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who unexpectedly canceled his participation in the forum amid disagreement over a pipeline project with Bulgaria, fueled doubts about what might be accomplished, AP reported.
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Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin said that Russia had linked Putin’s visit to progress on the South Stream pipeline project, which will transport Russian natural gas under the Black Sea through Bulgaria to other European countries.
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The Bulgarian stretch is vital for the whole pipeline network and an agreement in Sofia would have allowed Putin to promote South Stream as a main gas supply alternative at the summit.
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"The linking of both issues is unacceptable," Kalfin told reporters. He said there were still some unsolved issues about the ownership of the pipeline on Bulgarian soil.

Sofia has also stood up against a Russian plan to cut South Stream costs by using Bulgaria’s existing pipeline network, which already channels Russian gas to neighboring Greece, Macedonia and Turkey.

It was this decision by Sofia that prompted Putin to boycott the summit, AFP reported, citing the Bulgarian government.

Putin's last-minute decision not to attend the talks dampened the organizers' hopes of strengthening cooperation and security of deliveries to Europe, four months after a Russia-Ukraine gas row shut European gas taps in January.

Instead, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko was to join the forum, also to be attended by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, United States special envoy for Eurasian energy Richard Morningstar and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa.
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Bulgaria, which is almost totally dependent on Russia for its gas deliveries, was among the hardest hit by the Russia-Ukraine gas row and subsequent cut in deliveries in January.

In a move to diversify its energy sources and routes, Bulgaria declared its support for both the EU's flagship Nabucco project to bring Caspian gas to Europe while bypassing Russia and for the Moscow-backed South Stream pipeline pumping Russian gas to Europe under the Black Sea.

But while Brussels and Moscow have been competing to sign up enough gas suppliers to back their respective projects, the two pipelines have been severely sidetracked by financial difficulties.

GUL: 'TURKEY HAS A KEY ROLE'

Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who will also participate in the summit said Turkey had a key role in the route known as "the east-west energy corridor" before he left for Sofia.

He said at a news conference at the airport prior to his departure, "Turkey's natural gas consumption rises in parallel with its economic development and increasing level of prosperity."

"Turkey has a key role in the route known as the east-west energy corridor. Significant projects in this corridor led our country to become an essential energy base for world markets," he added.

Gul said that the summit in Sofia was an important ground to hold high-level political consultations on energy safety and to explain Turkey's natural gas and energy policies to regional countries.