Minister: Bulgaria will supply gas from Azerbaijan as soon as possible

The construction of the pipeline IGB ( Interconnector Greece- Bulgaria) will begin in 2015. This was said during the meeting of the Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Natig Aliyev with his Bulgarian colleague Dragomir Stoynev.

Stoynev told ITAR -TASS that Bulgaria intends as soon as possible to secure gas supplies from Azerbaijan.

" A billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan, on the supply of which we have signed an agreement in September 2013 , will have to come via the interconnector with Greece and the technical gas pipeline project is to be prepared this year.

 By the end of April we will begin to address issues of financing the project and several banks have already expressed a desire to participate in it. Next year the construction of a direct interconnector will start," said Stoynev.

As Aliyev said at the meeting, bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan reach the level of strategic partnership.

" The real solution to the issue of gas supplies to Bulgaria we found last year , when between the company Bulgargaz, the consortium Shah Deniz and the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic [SOCAR] an agreement was signed on the supply of one billion cubic meters of gas," said the minister.

In September 2013 the consortium to develop the field Shah Deniz in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea signed long-term contracts (25 years ) to supply gas to nine European companies, among which was also the company Bulgargaz .

In January 2014 the project consortium and the company TAP ICGB, engaged in the development , financing and construction of the pipeline Greece -Bulgaria (IGB), signed a memorandum of understanding on technical cooperation for the development of strategic infrastructure in the region. -12D