Ukrainian Minister: South Stream a Political, Not Economic Project

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko has said that the South Stream project is a political issue on his Twitter account today.

"South Stream is a political and not an economic project," a Tweet on the minister's Twitter account says. The minister also said through his Twitter account that Ukrainian gas transport system remains the most efficient method for delivery of gas to Europe.

This is not the first time the minister has criticised the South Stream project. In September last year, the minister told a conference that the pipeline could potentially be economically and environmentally damaging.

"We are assuring the Russians that the South Stream is simply unnecessary, it is a waste of money, (and will cause) additional environmental problems, and not only environmental, in the Black Sea basin," he said.

Yesterday, Russian Gazprom received news from Turkey that all permits and licences had been granted for the commencement of construction of the pipeline in Turkey.

CEO of Gazprom, Alexey Miller has previously linked the pipeline's construction to negotiations with Ukraine. "South Stream has always been linked to Ukraine," he is reported as saying in the week before Christmas by Reuters news agency.