Kyriakos Mitsotakis: IGB to ensure energy security in Balkans and entire continent

The start of commercial operation of the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector (IGB) is an exceptional moment not only for all the parties involved in the project, but also for Europe as a whole, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the IGB inauguration ceremony in Sofia.

He said the commissioning of the IGB is an exceptional moment not only for Southeast Europe, but for the whole of Europe, as it significantly increases energy security and supply security for all the countries of the Balkans and the entire continent.

The Greek PM referred to the statement of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who said the IGB gas pipeline will deliver natural gas from Azerbaijan to Bulgaria, saying that this will weaken Bulgaria's complete dependence on Russian fuel.

Together with other infrastructure projects implemented in the region, this will create a reliable gas supply network, he said, adding that at the beginning of the IGB project, many expressed doubts that it would be implemented.