UPI: TAP unfazed by South Stream

Russian plans to build its South Stream natural gas pipeline by December are "irrelevant" when considering rival projects, a TAP official said.

Russia said it wants to start building its South Stream natural gas pipeline by December. Russia sends about 80 percent of its natural gas for European consumers through Ukraine's gas transit system and bilateral disputes have exposed vulnerabilities in the regional energy sector.

Russia has pressed for South Stream and its Nord Stream counterpart while European leaders lobby for a series of pipelines outlined in the so-called Southern Corridor.  MORE