OREANDA-NEWS.    Led by Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee the Company's delegation paid a working visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina today.

As part of the visit, meetings were held with the Government officials, namely Bakir Izetbegovic, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zeljko Komsic, Member of the Presidency, Vjekoslav Bevanda, Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and Zlatko Lagumdzija, Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers – Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Alexander Medvedev also held talks with Boris Tucic, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Co-President of the Russian-Bosnian Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation.

The meetings were focused on the prospects for cooperation in the energy sector, particularly, the implementation of the South Stream project and the possible construction of a gas branch to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Following the talks, the parties highlighted the strategic importance of the South Stream infrastructure project for reinforcing the European energy security for many years to come.

Background

Russian natural gas has been supplied to Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1978. Gazprom delivered 200 million cubic meters of gas to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013.
The South Stream gas pipeline is Gazprom's global infrastructure project aimed at constructing a gas pipeline with a capacity of 63 billion cubic meters to Southern and Central Europe for the purpose of diversifying the natural gas export routes and eliminating transit risks. The first gas will be supplied via South Stream in late 2015. The gas pipeline will reach its full capacity in 2018.