Sioufas told journalists: "We have reached agreement on the formation of a [joint] working group which will consider extending the agreement on deliveries of Russia's natural gas to Greece. The current agreement covers the period until 2016. We [Greece] are considering extending the agreement by another 10 years."
After a Thursday meeting between Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller, Sioufas said that Gazprom, Greece's largest natural gas supplier, had been informed of the opportunities that will open up in Greece after the planned liberalization of the energy market.
Miller also announced Thursday that Gazprom had been invited to join the construction of a major oil pipeline from Bulgaria to Greece. "Gazprom has been invited to join the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project," he said. The project is in line with Gazprom's strategy for the diversification of its business into the oil sector.
The Russian, Bulgarian and Greek governments signed a memorandum on the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline construction in April 2005.
