Vucic: I hope gas will start flowing by end of year

SOFIA  - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday in Kostinbrod, Bulgaria, he hoped the construction of a Serbia-Bulgaria gas interconnector would be completed by October and that gas would start flowing by the end of the year.

At a ceremony marking the start of works to build the Bulgarian stretch of the interconnector, Vucic said Serbia was building a 109 km section on its side of the border.

"I am very happy to be here today, I am very glad to have had an opportunity to discuss all important issues with (Bulgarian) President (Rumen) Radev. We will continue in Sofia and I am happy that friends such as Serbia and Bulgaria can do great and important common things such as this interconnector," Vucic said.

Thanking Radev for the friendship showed to Serbia, Vucic said Bulgaria would have a good and loyal friend in Serbia in good and difficult times alike.

"I want to thank you from the EU for the great support. We have received 49 mln euros in grants and an additional 25 mln euros provided by the European Investment Bank. Bulgaria is getting 218 mln euros. We cannot even dream of getting that much for energy infrastructure, but hopefully there will be something for us Serbs, too, one day. We know how to appreciate it when someone gives us their taxpayers' money," he said.

He said he expected that construction works on both sides of the border would be completed by October and that gas would start flowing through the interconnector by the end of the year.

He said that would not only diversify gas supplies but also "secure the energy future of our countries and the entire region."