Nord Stream

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva goes on a two-day visit to Warsaw at the invitation of his Polish counterpart, Jacek Chaptutovic.

The two will discuss the development of bilateral relations in the context of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic contacts between Bulgaria and Poland.

"The construction of TurkStream is progressing according to plan, and options for extending the transit line of this gas pipeline in the European direction are also being considered," Lavrov said, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

According to the German broadcaster, after fierce US messages, an important vote in the European Union is up on Friday.

The agency quotes German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, that writes the French government allegedly wants to backtrack on its support to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, because the project is a "strategic problem" in tense relations with Moscow.

Bulgaria has pledged to build a new pipeline to pump Russian gas from Turkey to Serbia, EUOBSERVER reports.

Three firms, including Russia's Gazprom, Bulgaria's Bulgargaz, and Swiss firm MET signed contracts to use it.

Russia is seeking to boost its power in Europe and grip over Ukraine with the proposed Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, the top U.S. energy diplomat said on Dec. 10, in a step-up of Washington's rhetoric against the pipeline.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will transport Russian gas to Germany will be completed on time even if new sanctions are imposed on Moscow, Russia's energy minister said on Oct. 9.

Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday he had agreed with Italy's Edison and Greece's state-controlled gas company DEPA to continue work on a pipeline project to ship Russian natural gas into Europe. 

Speaking at an event in Milan, Novak also said that the Turkish Stream Project was on track for first commercial gas at the end of next year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would not want Europe to be weak and not protect its participation in the Nord Stream 2 project, as Bulgaria did with South Stream. This was pointed out at a joint press conference after a conversation with Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz in Moscow.

MESEBERG, Germany (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, as well as Iran and a gas pipeline project that has drawn U.S. ire during tough talks outside Berlin that ended with no clearcut progress.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin this weekend to discuss the conflicts in Syria and Eastern Ukraine.

The two leaders will meet at Schloss Meseberg outside Berlin on Saturday for talks on Ukraine and Syria, as well as the controversial gas pipeline Nord Stream II, government spokesperson Steffen Seibert confirmed on Monday.