Mitsotakis, Petkov inaugurate IGB pipeline

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Bulgarian counterpart Kiril Petkov on Friday jointly opened a valve that allowed natural gas to fill the pipeline Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), thus inaugurating the long-delayed project in the northern Greek city of Komotini.

In his speech, Mitsotakis said that the pipeline, in addition to transporting natural gas, was also a “conductor of common values” between Greece and Bulgaria.

Just before the ceremony, he said IGB “is not just a pipeline for transporting natural gas but a decisive energy bridge that will unite the geographical south with the north, initially bringing Greece closer with Bulgaria, Athens with Sofia.”

On his side, Petkov said the operation of the IGB will change the map of the region, giving new impetus to cooperation and ending the Russian monopoly by granting access to different energy sources.

The Energy Minister of Azerbaijan, Parviz Shahbazov, whose country supplies the natural gas, called the operation of the pipeline “historic,” noting that it diversifies energy sources and “gives a new dynamic” to the pipeline that transfers natural gas from Azerbaijan and supplies the IGB.

[AMNA]