Torshin: Never too late for South Stream

BELGRADE - The decision to halt the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline is most likely temporary, Alexander Porfiryevich Torshin, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation's Federal Assembly, said on Tuesday, noting that it is never too late to implement that project.

I think that the decision is a temporary one, Torshin told reporters in the Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, where he was awarded the Order of Holy King Milutin.

Given the positions of Bulgaria and the EU, it is now pointless to start the implementation of the South Stream project, he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said late Monday that, due to opposition from the EU, Russia cannot continue the project to build the South Stream gas pipeline, and that Bulgaria has not granted permission for it.

Even if there is no South Stream, there are great possibilities for cooperation between Serbia and Russia in many other areas, Torshin noted.

The possibilities for cooperation with Serbia are open in all areas, but agricultural cooperation should be stepped up first, he said.

Russia has great demand for agricultural products and will be glad to buy them, Torshin said, adding that he remembers Serbian fruits and vegetables as favourites on Russian dinner tables in the era of the former Yugoslavia.

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