After Russia curtailed gas supplies to Europe after the West imposed sanctions on Moscow for launching military operations in Ukraine, making EU countries accelerate to secure

alternative supplies amid rising prices, Greece and Bulgaria began commercial operation of the long-awaited gas pipeline that will help reduce South-Eastern Europe's dependence on Russian gas and enhance energy security

The gas line will be transported from the city of Komotini in northern Greece to Starazajura in Bulgaria. This line relates to another pipeline, part of the southern gas corridor that transports gas from Azerbaijan to Europe

The 182-kilometre pipeline will support Bulgaria, which has been making strenuous efforts to secure affordable gas supplies since the end of April, when Russian company Gazprom halted deliveries due to Sofia's refusal to pay in roubles

The Greece-Bulgaria pipeline is expected to transport 1 billion cubic metres of gas from Azerbaijan to Bulgaria

With an initial capacity of 3 billion cubic metres per year, and plans to increase the amount later to 5 billion cubic metres, the pipeline could provide quantities of non-Russian gas to Serbia, North Macedonia, neighbouring Romania, Moldova and Ukraine

During the opening ceremony in Sofia attended by the leaders of Bulgaria, Greece, Azerbaijan, Romania, Serbia and North Macedonia, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said, "People here in Bulgaria and across Europe feel the consequences of the Russian war, but thanks to such projects, Europe will have enough gas for winter."