ANKARA, December 1. /TASS/. In the current condutions, Russia cannot begin the implementation of the South Stream project, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

“Bearing in mind the fact that we have not yet received Bulgaria’s permission, we think Russia is such conditions cannot continue this project. I mean we are to begin the construction of the pipeline system in the Black Sea. We cannot begin the construction of the seabed section until we have Bulgaria’s permit,” Putin told a news conference in Ankara.

Russia, according to the president, cannot begin the construction of the seabed section to stop at the Bulgarian coast. “It is absurd. I think it is obvious,” he noted, adding that Russia is forced to revise its participation in the project. He thanked the Turkish partners for their support on this gas pipeline project.

Russia-EU dispute over Third Energy Package

In the autumn of 2013, the European Commission launched an anti-monopoly investigation into the South Stream project on suspicion that it disagrees with the rules of the EU’s Third Energy Package under which companies are supposed to separate generation and sales operations from transmission networks.

Last year, the European Commission urged to review bilateral intergovernmental agreements between Russia and EU countries to ensure that they comply with the Third Energy Package, which requires the separation of gas production, transportation and sale to prevent gas suppliers from dominating the infrastructure.