Sun, Nov 22 2009

Russia tightening its grasp on Europe's energy supplies - foreign press

Mon, Jan 21 2008 13:20 CET 2285 Views

After South Stream Europe will never be able to throw off the burden of its gas-dependence-on-Russia, Russian Pravda wrote on the occasion of Russian president Vladimir Putin's visit to Bulgaria and the agreements signed. According to the newspaper Serbia's readiness to sell 51 per cent of its NIS oil company to Gazprom was another blow to Europe, Dnevnik daily reported.

According to Russian newspaper Kommersant, Moscow did not make any serious concessions in the South Stream negotiations, although Bulgarian president Purvanov was obviously of a different opinion.

Austrian Die Presse said that with the South Stream project Gazprom had torpedoed Nabucco.

International Herald Tribune said the South Stream deal was part of a larger initiative that would undermine even more Europe's attempts to diversify its energy sources.

According to CNN the South Stream agreement between Russia and Bulgaria reinforced Kremlin's domination over the energy supplies for the EU, Dnevnik daily said.

The German Spiegel magazine commented that Putin once again messed up European plans.

Putin won Bulgaria's support for the South Stream gas pipeline and by doing so achieved considerable progress on the project. South Stream will transform Bulgaria into a gateway for Russian gas supplies to South East Europe, Financial Times wrote.

Greek daily Kathimerini said that despite the initial dead-lock, Putin managed to secure Bulgaria's participation in South Stream.

According to the Belgrade Danas, the South Stream agreement would benefit Serbia as well as a neighbour to Bulgaria and a transit country, Dnevnik daily said.

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