Focus: Minister Delyan Dobrev: Bulgaria will benefit from the South Stream gas pipeline not only after, but also during its construction

Delyan Dobrev, Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism, in an interview with Radio Focus’s broadcast This is Bulgaria.

Host: On Thursday, the final investment decision regarding the South Stream project will be signed by Bulgaria. This information became clear after the meeting held between Minister Delyan Dobrev and President Rosen Plevneliev. For more details on this topic, we will speak with Delyan Dobrev, Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism. Minister Dobrev, let us first summarise your meeting with President Rosen Plevneliev. What would you outline as most important from this meeting? During the weekend, President Plevneliev appealed for transparency regarding the project. 

Delyan Dobrev: We informed the president about everything we have achieved so far in regard to the South Stream gas pipeline – all taken actions and the progress in general. This meeting was another step closer to bringing more transparency to the project. Last Wednesday, it took me over 20 minutes to present to the whole cabinet a very detailed report on the South Stream project. The presentation was made during a session of the Council of Ministers. On the same day, the report was published on the web page of the Council of Ministers. Subsequently, on Wednesday afternoon, I asked for a hearing in the National Assembly's Energy and Tourism Committee. And there we discussed the South Stream project for over an hour and a half with representatives of the Bulgarian Energy Holding, the South Stream AG and the project’s designer. Therefore, I believe that we secured the maximum possible publicity for this project. Apart from this, as you can see, I speak on this topic in every television show and on radio broadcast, in which I am invited as a guest.  MORE