/ world today news/ Austria and Slovenia supported the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline, calling it an important project to ensure stable energy supplies in the region.
“I believe that the South Stream project is the right and possible way to ensure stability of energy supplies in the medium term,” Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told journalists after a meeting with his Slovenian and Croatian counterpart in Brdo near Kranju near Ljubljana.
“Austria in principle supports the South Stream project… and we believe that it should be implemented for medium- and long-term stability of natural gas supplies,” he added. Fayman’s statement comes ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Vienna next Tuesday, during which Moscow is expected to try to secure Austrian support for the pipeline after Bulgaria halted work on the project under pressure from the EU, AFP notes.
Fayman discussed the fate of the South Stream project during a regular meeting with the Prime Ministers of Slovenia Alenka Bratusek and Croatia Zoran Milanovic. Bratuszek also supported South Stream, saying it was a “vital infrastructure project” to ensure energy security.
“There are still some technical issues that remain open and need to be resolved with the EU,” she added, referring to Brussels’ call for all 28 member states to be united in resisting Kremlin pressure on the project. The EC considers that the gas pipeline violates EU competition rules. /AFP
Ljubljana / Slovenia
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