“Given the idea of establishment of a gas hub in Bulgaria..., this project could come on-stream with the help of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the use of Nabucco gas pipeline,” he said.
Bulgaria has reportedly welcomed the idea.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said recently he wants the European Commission to revive plans for the Nabucco pipeline that would pump gas from the Caspian Sea.
Keen to diversify its energy supplies due to the Ukraine crisis, Bulgaria meets more than 80 percent of its gas needs with imports from Russia.
Nabucco was backed by Western powers, but was shelved in part because there was not enough demand to sustain both it and South Stream. Bulgaria, which would have benefited from charging transit fees for South Stream, sees reviving Nabucco as a way to compensate for its loss.
European leaders had pushed Nabucco in order to weaken Russia's grip on the Central and Eastern European energy market, but the project was derailed by cost overruns, a lack of available gas and Russian lobbying.
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