Ensuring the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline stays on schedule is a priority for Bulgaria, as it is for Greece, Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said on Thursday.

Stanishev made the remarks in an interview with Greece's semi-official press ANA-MPA in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on the sidelines of the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) summit meeting.

Stanishev said both Bulgarian and Greek governments hope to set up an international company as soon as possible to undertake the construction of the pipeline.

Stanishev stressed the importance of the project for both countries economically and politically, including their energy security.

In Thessaloniki, the foreign ministers of Bulgaria and Greece discussed the issue of the Bugarian govenrment's reported withdrawal from the Bulgarian consortium for the construction of the pipeline.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister and Deputy Premier Ivailo Kalfin said the government's interest in the project remained "steadfast and undiminished" despite the unexpected collapse a few days ago of a consortium of Bulgarian firms participating in the three-nation project.

Kalfin said the developments will not delay but "accelerate work to complete the project."

Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis told reporters she had received assurances from the Bulgarian prime minister and the foreign minister that the project would go ahead as planned.

The next meeting by all the three sides involved in the project -- Russia, Bulgaria and Greece -- is due to be held later this month in Moscow, although no date has been fixed yet.

Bulgaria, Greece and Russia signed an agreement in April, 2005 to build the 285-km-long Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline that will allow Russia to export oil to Europe through the Black Sea, bypassing the busy Bosporus Strait in Turkey.

Some media reports here say that during U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Athens and Sofia last week, the U.S. government has put pressure on Greece and Bulgaria to give up the project for fear of Europe's dependence on Russian oil.

Source: Xinhua