BRUSSELS, June 27 (RIA Novosti) – The alleged non-compliance of the South Stream pipeline, currently under construction, with EU rules has not been proven and is only the opinion of the European Commission, Russia's ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, told RIA Novosti in an interview Friday.
EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said earlier this week that the construction of the South Stream pipeline should be suspended until the project meets EU regulations.
Commenting on the statement, Chizhov said: “No one has yet proven that [South Stream] does not correspond with the rules. But this is the opinion of the European Commission, or more precisely, a suspicion.”
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on European businesses not to politicize the South Stream pipeline, as it is an “all-European project,” beneficial both for Russian and its European partners.
The European Commission earlier sent a warning to Bulgaria saying it failed to comply with EU regulations while conducting a tender for the construction and operations of the Bulgarian leg of the pipeline.
Chizhov said there is no legal ban on carrying out the project while the European Commission is conducting its investigation.
In early June, Bulgaria announced it was putting the South Stream project on hold following a European Commission request.
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said earlier this week that Russia and Bulgaria are resolving all working issues related to the country’s participation in the gas pipeline project and would implement the project on schedule.
South Stream is to carry Russian natural gas to export destinations in southern Europe across the Black Sea, bypassing Ukraine. Construction on the project started in 2012 as a move to diversify export routes for the Russian gas. Total capacity of the pipeline is estimated at up to 63 billion cubic meters. South Stream is expected to become fully operational in 2018.
