Greece, Bulgaria and Romania agree to expand NATO fuel pipeline network

The defense ministers of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania agreed on Wednesday to expand NATO’s fuel pipeline network towards the alliance’s eastern flank.

Three ministers – Nikos Dendias, Bulgarian Todor Tagarev and Romanian Deputy Defense Minister Simona Cojocaru – signed a letter of intent on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

The initiative aims to improve the resilience of fuel supply infrastructure on NATO’s eastern flank. The expansion route of the pipeline network into Greek territory (Halkero-Alexandroupolis) and their interconnection will increase Greek influence as part of the Alliance’s core mission of deterrence and defense.

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said that “Greece’s influence as an energy center is strengthening and the role of the port of Alexandroupoli is increasing even more.”

The signing of the letter of intent took place after a trilateral meeting of the prime ministers of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania in Varna on October 9. This initiative is in line with Greek interests, as it promotes the use of infrastructure on Greek territory and its interconnection with both Bulgaria and Romania. At the same time, the expansion of the Greek pipeline system and its connection with two other allies on NATO’s eastern flank is a signal of strong political will for cooperation between the three countries within NATO, Greece emphasized.

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