Warlick: US had no say in decision on South Stream pipeline

BELGRADE - The US had no say in the decision on the South Stream gas pipeline, and for Serbia - whose only gas supply route runs through Ukraine - connecting to the Bulgarian pipeline is a priority, says US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mary Warlick.

The US had no say whatsoever in the decision-making on the South Stream pipeline, and the decision to abandon the entire project came from the EU, which asked Bulgaria to stop construction works to align the project with the Third Energy Package and rules and regulations applicable in the EU, Warlick told the Belgrade-based Politika daily in an interview.

Warlick, a former US ambassador to Belgrade who is now in charge of the Department of State's Bureau of Energy Resources, said Serbia should also consider using liquefied natural gas from America and Australia.