Nabucco group expecting key decisions
22 March
A decision to link the broader Nabucco natural gas pipeline to a Turkish counterpart is expected by next year, a managing director said from Ankara. Reinhard Mitschek, managing director of Nabucco Gas Pipeline International, said from Turkey his company expects to make a decision on linking up to the Trans-Anatolia Pipeline by 2013. "The point of no return is a final investment decision … that will most likely be next year," Mitschek told Bloomberg News. "That is something we're working on in a very concentrated and focused form within the Nabucco group, with Shah Deniz partners and others." The Trans-Anatolia Pipeline, known also as TANAP, is a project envisioned by Turkish energy company Botas and the State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan Republic to transport natural gas to southern Europe. Nabucco could carry gas from suppliers in the Caspian region, notably those in the Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan, to southern Europe by 2017. Ankara had said TANAP is backed by a supply guarantee. Nabucco has faced questions over its $10.5 billion price and the lack of firm supplier commitments. A smaller version of the planned 2,400-mile pipeline, dubbed Nabucco West, would travel from the Turkish border to Austria, about half of what's expected for the entire project. (UPI)

Borat anthem stuns Kazakh gold medallist in Kuwait
23 March
Kazakhstan's shooting team has been left stunned after a comedy national anthem from the film Borat was played at a medal ceremony at championships in Kuwait instead of the real one. The team asked for an apology and the medal ceremony was later rerun. The team's coach told Kazakh media the organisers had downloaded the parody from the internet by mistake. The song was produced by UK comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for the film, which shows Kazakhs as backward and bigoted. Footage of Thursday's original ceremony posted on YouTube shows gold medallist Maria Dmitrienko listening to the anthem without emotion and finally smiling as it ends. Coach Anvar Yunusmetov told Kazakh news agency Tengrinews that the tournament's organisers had also got the Serbian national anthem wrong. "Then Maria Dmitrienko's turn came," he said. "She got up on to the pedestal and they played a completely different anthem, offensive to Kazakhstan." The spoof song praises Kazakhstan for its superior potassium exports and for having the cleanest prostitutes in the region. The film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, released in 2006, follows Baron Cohen's character, the journalist Borat Sagdiyev, as he travels to the US and pursues the actress Pamela Anderson. The film outraged people in Kazakhstan and was eventually banned in the country. The government also threatened Baron Cohen with legal action. Reports say the film is also banned in Kuwait. (BBC)

Uzbek president approves parliamentary, presidential election dates
23 March
The next parliamentary and presidential elections in Uzbekistan will be held in December 2014 and early 2015, respectively. The Uzbekistan Senate (the upper house of the Uzbek parliament) approved on Friday a constitutional bill, "Regarding the next parliamentary and presidential elections of the Republic of Uzbekistan."  The document was submitted by Svetlana Artykova, who chairs the Committee for Legislation and Legal Affairs. Under the law, the next Uzbekistan parliamentary elections will be held in December 2014 and the presidential election, upon expiration of 90 days after the publication of the official results of the parliamentary elections. According to the legislative procedure, the document is deemed to have been fully passed by parliament and is due to be sent as a law to President Islam Karimov for signature. The previous parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan were held in December 2009 (the upper and lower houses are elected for a five-year term). The lower house consists of 150 deputies, the Senate has 100. The previous presidential election was held in December 2007. Islam Karimov was elected for a seven-year term. In December 2011, Uzbek lawmakers approved constitutional amendments changing the presidential term from seven to five years. (Interfax)

Third Attempt to Elect New Leader in Breakaway S.Ossetia
24 March
Voters in Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia will go to polls on March 25 to elect new leader – a third attempt since November, when the race went into runoff, won by an opposition candidate Alla Jioyeva, but its results were annulled prompting street protests. None of the key former candidates – Alla Jioyeva and Anatoly Bibilov, who was supported by ex-South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity and openly backed by the Kremlin – are running in the repeat elections, which is a race between four contenders. Runoff will take place if neither of four candidates garners more than half of the votes in the Sunday’s polls. Two candidates are believed to be frontrunners in the race – the breakaway region’s long-time envoy to Moscow Dmitry Medoev and ex-chief of security service Leonid Tibilov. Two other candidates are: a special envoy for human rights issues David Sanakoev and leader of the communist party Stanislav Kochiev. In their rhetoric during the campaigning the candidates were distancing themselves from ex-South Ossetian leader, Eduard Kokoity, who is believed to retain a significant political influence in the region although stepping down from the post of president in December after ten-year rule. During one of the debates two of the frontrunner candidates, Medoev and Tibilov, have even accused each other of being affiliated with “Kokoity’s clan”. Tibilov ran in 2006 presidential election in which Kokoity won over 98% of votes. Jioyeva has refused to endorse any of the four candidates. Elections in the breakaway region are denounced as illegitimate by Tbilisi and the international community, except of Russia and few other countries, which have recognized South Ossetia and Georgia’s another breakaway region of Abkhazia. (Civil Georgia)

Some 50 intl observers monitor S. Ossetian presidential election
25 March
Forty seven observers are monitoring voting in the presidential election in South Ossetia on Sunday, South Ossetian Foreign Minister Murat Dzhioyev has announced. They represent "parliaments, public and nongovernmental organizations from Russia, Israel, Italy, France and some other countries, including the Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic and Nagorno Karabakh," he said at a Sunday briefing in Tskhinvali. He expressed confidence that the elections would be transparent and fair and free from any falsifications. "Today we will elect our president making it a history-making day," the minister said. He said that voter activeness was high not only in the republic itself but also at the polling station at the embassy in Moscow. (Interfax)

Kazakhstan trial over deadly riots begins
26 March
A court in Kazakhstan has begun the trial of 37 people accused of violent disorder, the worst since the country's independence 20 years ago. Clashes between striking oil workers and the police resulted in the deaths of at least 14 people in December in the small oil town of Zhanaozen. Witnesses said police fired indiscriminately at unarmed workers. But police say they were forced to defend themselves. The hearings are being conducted at a youth centre that has been turned into a makeshift courtroom in the Caspian port city of Aktau, about 150km (96 miles) west of Zhanaozen. They will be tried for a variety of crimes, including attacks on police, mass disorder, arson and robbery. Angry relatives of the accused burst into the hall before the hearing, saying they were being excluded from the proceedings. The judge adjourned the trial after one of the accused failed to make an appearance. Oil workers had protested for months in Zhanaozen, a town of about 90,000 people, for better pay and conditions. But in response they were sacked by the state oil company that employed them. At least 100 people were injured in the December clashes with the police. In January, tension eased and President Nursultan Nazarbayev lifted a state of emergency in the town. International rights groups have alleged that those detained were subjected to torture and ill treatment. Human Rights Watch on Monday urged the Kazakh authorities to ensure a fair and public trial. (BBC)

EU, U.S. Does Not Recognize Abkhaz, S.Ossetia Polls
26 March
The U.S. embassy in Tbilisi said in a statement that Washington “recognizes neither the legitimacy of the de facto ‘elections’ held in the Abkhazia region on March 24, nor those in the South Ossetia region on March 25.” “Georgia’s large number of citizens displaced from their homes in Abkhazia and South Ossetia were unable to participate in the polls, nor are they able to return to their homes,” the statement reads, which also reiterates the U.S. support to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We further urge Russia to fulfill all of its obligations under the 2008 ceasefire agreement, including withdrawal of forces to pre-conflict positions and free access for humanitarian assistance to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.” A spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said in a statement on March 26, that EU "does not recognise the constitutional and legal framework" within which elections in breakaway South Ossetia were held. "The High Representative [Ashton] reiterates her support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia, as recognised by international law. The High Representative would in this context like to emphasize the importance of the Geneva International Discussions in ensuring the security and stability in the region," the statement reads. (Civil Georgia)

Fair trials needed in Kazakhstan, HRW says
27 March
Judicial authorities in Kazakhstan should distinguish between those protesting for workers' rights and those suspected of banditry, Human Rights Watch said. A trial for 37 people charged with organizing and taking part in protests in December is under way in Kazakhstan. Demonstrators staged weekend rallies to mark 100 days since police clashed with protesters in the western Kazakh oil city of Zhanaozen. At least 15 people were killed during oil strikes. Some of the defendants, Human Rights Watch said, are accused of charges ranging from arson to desecrating the national flag. Two of the defendants are children. Mihra Rittmann, an analyst for Human Rights Watch on Central Asian affairs, said Kazakh authorities need to ensure the trial meets international standards. The rights group notes that Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said labor disputes and "criminal plots" are separate matters. "The authorities of course have a responsibility to prosecute criminal behavior, but criminal law should never be invoked as retaliation for workers exercising their legitimate right to strike," Rittmann said in a statement. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports hundreds of people stormed the court before proceedings started Tuesday. (UPI)

Azerbaijan uncovers 24 people spying for Iran
28 March
The Azeri National Security Ministry has uncovered 24 people conducting subversive activities on behalf of Iran, Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov said. "Counterintelligence operations conducted by the National Security Ministry helped uncover two groups, numbering 24 people, recruited by Iranian special services," Mahmudov said in an article entitled 'Watching Over National Security' published in the newspaper Azerbaijan on Wednesday, when the country marks the 93rd anniversary of the founding of its intelligence and counterintelligence services. These people have been charged with spying, preparation for terrorist attacks, acquisition of firearms and ammunition, and other crimes, he said. Mahmudov also said two people who fought against the international coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan were detained during the previous year. About 30 transnational organized criminal groups involved in drug trafficking have also been neutralized over the past year. About 630 kilos of drugs were seized from these groups, and 137 citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Iran have been held responsible. Two servicemen from the Azeri armed forces have also been charged with high treason during the period, Mahmudov said. The special intelligence and counterintelligence service was established in the Azeri Democratic Republic on March 28, 1919. The republic itself existed in 1918-1920. (Interfax)

Georgia sees planned Russian war game as threat to its security - diplomat
28 March
The Georgian delegation at the Geneva talks on March 29 will bring up the issue of the planned Russian military exercises Caucasus 2012's potential threat to Georgia, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Kapanadze, who leads the Georgian delegation in Geneva, told journalists on Wednesday. "These exercises pose a threat to Georgia's security, and therefore we will air our position at the talks. At the same time, the most important issue on which we will focus is Russia's obligation on the non-use of force. Discussion will be initiated on the last incident, in which unidentified gunmen fired upon a Georgian police checkpoint in the village of Ganmukhuri and then fled to Abkhaz territory in early March," Kapanadze said. The negotiators will also consider "admission of an international observation mission to the territories occupied by Russia," the humanitarian situation, and the return of refugees, he said. "We will also raise the issue of free passage of the Gali district's local population through the conventional order, especially in the pre-Easter period," he said. (Interfax)

Report says Israel to use Azeri airbases
29 March
Israel has access to airbases in Azerbaijan near Iran's northern border to use in a military strike against Iran's nuclear sites, sources told a U.S. magazine. Unnamed senior diplomats and military intelligence officials were interviewed in the Foreign Policy magazine report, "Israel's Secret Staging Ground," published Wednesday. "The Israelis have bought an airfield … and the airfield is called Azerbaijan," a senior administration official was quoted as saying. The Azeri military has four abandoned Soviet-era airfields that would potentially be available to Israel and four air bases for their own aircraft, the report says, quoting details from Military Balance 2011 from the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. Senior U.S. intelligence officials are increasingly concerned that Israeli military expansion in Azerbaijan will hamper efforts to dampen tensions with Iran, an official told Foreign Policy. "We're watching what Iran does closely … but we're now watching what Israel is doing in Azerbaijan. And we're not happy about it," an intelligence officer said. Ties between Israel and the predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan are believed to be robust, and even if Israel doesn't use the fields for a direct airstrike on Iran, Azerbaijan could still prove useful for Jerusalem's interests in the region, the report says. American intelligence and diplomatic officials say they believe access to the air bases by Israel was gained through a series of quiet political and military understandings. The Israeli and Azeri embassies in Washington, the Israeli Army and Mossad all refused to comment on the report. (UPI)

Moscow supports plans to grant Afghanistan observer status in SCO – foreign ministry
30 March
The member-states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have agreed to further assist Afghanistan's efforts to revive the country and to assist in the restoration of an independent, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov attended a regular round of regional security consultations in Beijing on March 30 involving deputy foreign ministers of the organization's member-states, of the SCO observer countries and Afghanistan. The consultations were chaired by Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping. "The parties held a committed discussion of regional security issues, and agreed that regional cooperation should be strengthened for the sake of security, stability and development. The situation in Afghanistan was given special attention. The parties said that the SCO will continue assisting the Afghan people's efforts to revive the country and that they support the work to build an independent, peaceful and prospering Afghanistan," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on its website. Morgulov met with Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Javed Ludin on the sidelines of the consultations in Beijing on March 30. "The parties discussed Russian-Afghan cooperation, prospects for the development of the domestic situation in Afghanistan, including in the context of national reconciliation and the transfer of responsibility for national security from foreign armed forces to the Afghans. They emphasized the growing role of regional cooperation on Afghanistan, including within the SCO. The Russian side reaffirmed support for giving Afghanistan observer status in the SCO," the foreign ministry said. (Interfax)

No more revolutions in Kyrgyzstan - president
2 April
There will be no more revolutions in Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev told reporters in Baku as he made an official visit to Azerbaijan. "One should get accustomed to rallies as an ordinary thing in a democratic country, which Kyrgyzstan has become. There will be no more revolutions in Kyrgyzstan," he said. "The country needs stability and its administration will be changed in elections from now on," he noted. "If anyone wants power, one is welcome to the current municipal elections; there will be a parliamentary election in three years and a presidential election in five years. If you want power, you must be patient. No one is allowed to break the law. People who hold rallies must remember about the law, the legal framework," Atambayev said. He recalled that he "led two events voluntarily or involuntarily" in March 2005 and April 2010. "I can tell you there is nothing good about such events," Atambayev said. "No one holds to power. It is time to get down to work. People are tired of rallies," he said. At the same time, Atambayev thinks that Kyrgyzstan must have an opposition, which must be represented in the parliament. "We will help the opposition obtain free access to the media, speak up at the parliament and make public statements," he said. In turn, the opposition must comply with the law. Opposition appeals for a change of administration "come from those who stick to the old mentality," Atambayev said. "Let rallies be held, but they must not hamper the tranquility and peaceful life of citizens," he said. (Interfax)

SOCAR to build refinery in Kyrgyzstan for $250 mln
2 April
Azeri state energy company SOCAR plans to build a $250 million oil refinery in Kyrgyzstan with an annual capacity of 2 million tonnes (about 40,000 barrels per day) to reduce the Central Asian country's energy dependence on Russia, the Azeri industry and energy minister said on Monday. Natik Aliyev told reporters the construction was planned for completion by the end of 2013 or the beginning of 2014."Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan discussed and approved the construction of an oil refinery in Kyrgyzstan at a high level," Aliyev said. "Its estimated cost will be about $250 million, 10 percent more or less," he added. Aliyev said talks over oil supplies from Kazakhstan to the new refinery were under way. Kyrgyzstan's annual consumption of oil products is 1.3 million-1.5 million tonnes with 75 percent of the market relying on Russian imports. SOCAR is currently constructing an oil refinery in Turkey with an annual capacity of 10 million tonnes. (Reuters)

Over 16,000 Kazakhs to be called up for military service this spring
2 April
A spring army draft has begun in Kazakhstan. More than 16,000 citizens are expected to be drafted into the Armed Forces, the Kazakhstan Defense Ministry said in a statement issued on Monday. About 8,000 of the 16,000 conscripts will be sent to the Defense Ministry's military bases, the rest to bases of the Republican Guard, the Interior Ministry's Internal Troops and the National Security Committee's Border Service and the Emergency Situations Ministry, the statement said. Any man aged between 18 and 27 not entitled to deferral or exemption from the army is subject to the draft. The army service period is one year. "The 2012 spring draft is different in that the number of conscripts has increased, and the requirements for health, education and moral and psychological stability are now higher," the press release said. The selection process "will be tough," it said. Recruitment commissions will pay attention to education, specialty, family status, physical and military fitness, as well as the moral and business skills of conscripts. The desire to serve in any particular branch of troops will also be taken into account. Concurrently, about 16,000 Kazakh conscript soldiers who completed the military service are returning from the army. Kazakhstan holds army drafts twice a year, in the spring and fall. (Interfax)

Development Bank of Kazakhstan to place Islamic bonds in Kazakhstan, Malaysia
2 April
Development Bank of Kazakhstan (DBK) will offer its debut Islamic bonds or Sukuks al Murabaha in Kazakhstan and Malaysia, according to the minutes of DBK directors' meeting published on the website of Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE). The notes will be included in the official list of the Securities Commission Malaysia (Suruhanjaya Sekuriti) and offered to Kazakh investors through KASE. The approved arrangers of the issue are: HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad, The Royal Bank of Scotland Berhad and Halyk Finance, a local underwriter. According to the document, the bank will float up to 9 million Sukuks, the face value of each at 1,000 Malaysian ringgit. The board of directors of the Development Bank of Kazakhstan made a decision on March 14, 2012 to place medium-term Islamic bonds in accordance with the laws of Malaysia, DBK said in a press release earlier. The bond program value is $500 million, with the first 5-year maturity issue of $200-$300 million. DBK said that is had applied to the regulatory authorities of Kazakhstan for advice concerning a procedure for Sukuk al Murabaha offering. Development Bank of Kazakhstan was organized in 2001. The bank finances medium- and long-term investment projects in infrastructure and non-resource sectors. (Interfax)

Tajikistan accuses Uzbekistan of economic blockade
3 April
Tajikistan has accused its central Asian neighbour, Uzbekistan, of imposing a blockade. It says the blockade could destabilise the country and lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. A report published on the website of the Tajik embassy in Moscow accused Uzbekistan of blocking vital rail freight and cutting gas supplies. Relations between the countries have deteriorated over a hydro-electric dam that Tajikistan is building. Uzbekistan fears the dam will restrict water supplies to its main cash crop, cotton. In its strongly worded statement, the Tajik embassy in Moscow accused the Uzbek authorities of deliberately creating the blockade. The statement claims that, since 2010, Tashkent has systematically blocked the transit of rail freight into Tajikistan - vital for bringing fuel and food into the landlocked country. The Uzbek government has cut natural gas supplies to Tajikistan. It says it can no longer supply gas to the Tajiks as it has to meet growing demand from its main partner, China, but the amount Tajikistan needs is small by comparison. No flights operate between the two capitals and citizens of both countries require visas to cross the border. (BBC)

Uzbek PM rejects Tajikistan’s energy blockade accusations
4 April
Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoev rejected on Wednesday accusations by Tajikistan that Tashkent imposed a transport and energy blockade on its eastern neighbor. "The accusations by the Tajik side are baseless,” Mirziyoev said. The Tajik Embassy in Russia issued a statement earlier this week, claiming that Uzbekistan had imposed a transport and energy blockade, which could negatively affect the Tajik economy. Uzbekistan recently decided to halt gas deliveries to Tajikistan and no longer provides transit of electricity from Turkmenistan to Tajikistan. A statement by the Tajik embassy claims Tashkent's restrictions on rail transportation and energy shipments to Tajikistan may cause “a humanitarian catastrophe” and are “aimed at destabilizing the socioeconomic environment there.” In a letter to his Tajik counterpart, Mirziyoev said that the Uztransgas pipeline operator performed its contract-guaranteed supplies of 45 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Tajikistan in full and that the issue of further supplies “should be decided between the commercial entities, according to the general international practice.” He also said that “as the Turkmen and Uzbek gas transportation systems function separately from each other, the transit of Turkmen gas via Uzbekistan is impossible.” The premier also dismissed the accusations by the Tajik embassy of a “transport blockade” of the southern and central regions of Tajikistan. Mirziyoev said the growth of transit costs for Tajikistan-bound rail traffic was “a forced countermeasure,” because “Tajikistan’s rail authorities increased tariffs manyfold in a short period of time”. According to the Uzbek prime minister, tariffs tripled in 2011 and grew by 40 percent in 2012. Uzbekistan’s increase of tariffs in the reported periods was 30 and 23 percent, respectively, Mirziyoev said. (RIA-Novosti)

Chechnya angry at Rosneft, woos Azerbaijan with oil
4 April
Russia's republic of Chechnya has invited Azerbaijan to tap its oil deposits, saying a production license held by Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft has expired. "Rosneft's license to produce oil in Chechnya has expired. In this connection, we invite Azerbaijan to explore new deposits," Chechnya Finance Minister Ali Isayev told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in the Azeri capital of Baku. According to media reports, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been annoyed by Rosneft's slow response to a request to build a refinery with an annual capacity of 1 million tonnes, which would give him more independence from Moscow. A Rosneft spokesman declined to comment. According to Russia's Energy Ministry, Rosneft's Chechnya subsidiary, Grozneftegaz, produced over 800,000 tonnes of oil last year, accounting for around 7 percent of the parent company's total output. Grozneftegaz'a proven reserves stand at 60 million tonnes of oil and 3 billion cubic metres of gas under Petroleum Resources Management System classification. The company was created in 2000 from the remnants of the Chechen oil industry, which suffered badly from two wars between Islamist separatists and the Russian federal government. It is not immediately clear why the Chechen authorities targeted Rosneft, which became the top Russian producer after it acquired the bulk of bankrupt company YUKOS' assets. The national oil company lost some of its clout after Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin resigned as chairman last year following an order from President Dmitry Medvedev. The invitation for Azerbaijan to tap Chechnya's oil reserves comes a month before Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is scheduled to return to the presidency after winning a March 4 election. (Reuters)

Armenia ready to provide site for Russian radar
4 April
If Russia fails to agree with Azerbaijan lease of the Gabala missile defense radar, Armenia is ready to provide a site on its territory for construction of the radar, Kommersant daily reported on Wednesday, quoting Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.“There may even be advantages, because Aremenia is a mountainous country. Coverage can be broader,” Sargsyan said. Russia has been in talks with Azerbaijan to extend the lease of the Soviet-era radar, which it has operated in line with a 2002 deal. The current agreement is due to expire on December 24. The Russian daily Kommersant newspaper reported in late February that Azerbaijan had demanded Russia pay $300 million instead of the previously agreed $7 million for the lease, which Russia is seeking to extend until 2025. Sources in the Russian Defense Ministry were quoted as saying the price demanded by Baku was “unreasonably high.” The deputy director of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis, Alexander Khramchikhin, has said the end of the Gabala radar lease will do no “real damage” to Russia’s defense capabilities because another radar, constructed in the southern Russian town of Armavir, would cover the area of the Gabala radar. (RIA-Novosti)

‘Momentous’ decision reached on Nabucco’
4 April
A decision by the Bulgarian government to declare the Nabucco natural gas pipeline of national importance is "momentous," a director said. The Bulgarian government announced Wednesday that it considered the planned Nabucco pipeline an object of national importance. Reinhard Mitschek, managing director of Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH, said the decision was a milestone for the project. "We welcome this momentous decision by the Bulgarian government and its renewed commitment to the Nabucco pipeline project," he said in a statement. Nabucco could carry gas from suppliers in the Caspian region, notably those in the Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan, to southern Europe by 2017. A smaller version of the planned 2,400-mile pipeline, dubbed Nabucco West, would move gas from the Turkish border to Austria, about half of what's expected for the entire project. Nabucco is one of the projects outlined in the so-called Southern Corridor of gas transit networks for Europe. Its intent is to break the Russian grip on the regional markets by adding diversity to the natural gas sector. "Nabucco is the flagship project in the Southern Corridor because it is the best commercial and strategic option to diversify gas supply of Bulgaria, and Europe," said Mitschek. Sofia this week also threw its support beyond Nabucco counterpart South Stream, a project planned by Russia. (UPI)