Results of Bulgaria gas talks satisfy each party-Gazprom deputy CEO.

VARNA, Bulgaria, July 18 (Itar-Tass) - The results of the gas talks in
Bulgaria satisfy each party, Gazprom deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev said
after the talks on the South Stream roadmap and gas supplies on Saturday.
"Our approach to the work is very easy - agreements should be
advantageous for every participant of the talks. Those agreements that we'
ve reached today are mutually advantageous on all aspects of cooperation,"
he said. "Although the talks turned out to be difficult, the results have
been reached and they satisfy each party."
"After the Saturday talks Bulgaria received additional advantages. We'
ve adopted a comprehensive decision on preferential treatment, resolved
the issue of gas supplies to the country's southeast and taken a decision
on extra gas volumes as compared to the crisis year of 2009," Medvedev
said.
"These preferences are very beneficial for the Bulgarian side," he
said.
Gazprom's top official underlined that the Russian gas giant plans to
continue efforts to develop Bulgaria's gas market, as it is dissatisfied
with the pace of gas equipment installation.
"The population consumes very little gas, although the advantages of
this fuel are evident from the point of view of environment and
power-generation and simply from the point of view of the price,
especially if it is compared with that of black oil and other fuels,"
Medvedev said.
"Taking into account the preferential treatment Bulgaria will find
itself in a better situation than its neighbours will do, as the
privileges are rather substantial," he said.
Speaking about South Stream Medvedev highlighted that this project
will be profit-making for Bulgaria.
"Taking into consideration the use of the existing gas pipeline
system, the Bulgarian side's revenues are guaranteed not only until 2030,
but even further. The contracts on South Stream will be concluded
beginning from 2015 for 20-25 years as a minimum. This means that Bulgaria'
s pipeline network will be fully loaded until 2035-2040," the Gazprom
deputy CEO said.
In reply to the Itar-Tass question Medvedev said "the South Stream
project is in principle open for new shareholders."
"We do not call anyone to join, but if somebody comes to be ready to
breathe something new in the project, we with our French and Italian
partners will be ready to consider the application. But just now there is
no such need," he said.
Medvedev described as ambiguity the information on the talks on
participation of Germany's RWE in the South Stream project.
"We did not invite the company RWE to participate in the South Stream
gas pipeline project and there is no need to do this," he said.
The Gazprom official believes that at present, there is no competition
on the market of new gas pipelines.
Experts say that within years Europe's gas consumption will grow by
160-200 billion cubic meters, while the throughput capacity of all gas
pipelines - Nord Stream, South Stream, Nabucco and other sources - will be
not enough to meet consumers' demand.
"New routes to satisfy Europe's gas demand are still necessary,"
Medvedev said.



.Descendants of Russian emigres arrive in Tunisia.

BIZERTE, Tunisia, July 18 (Itar-Tass) - Over 60 descendants of the
first wave of Russian emigres arrived in the port of Bizerte, Tunisia,
late on Saturday, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the White Russian
forces' evacuation from the Crimea.
On Wednesday, Russian foreign compatriots began their sea voyage in
Venice heading to Tunisia. They will follow the reverse route of Russian
emigres, who left the Crimea in 1920. The voyage will end in Sevastopol.
"Onboard the ship are over 60 descendants of our compatriots of four
generations. Here are witnesses of those events and their great
grandchildren," Prince Alexander Trubetskoy told Itar-Tass.
He noted that among the voyage's participants are descendants from
France, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia, Canada and the Czech Republic.
The voyage was organized by the Saint Andrew the First-Called
Foundation and the Centre of National Glory.
Over thirty ships of the White Russian Fleet had anchored in Bizerte
for four years. Around 6,000 officers, sailors and their family members
spent all this time onboard, where a school, a hospital and a church were
opened. After the fleet's destruction some Russians fled to other
countries and some stayed on the African continent.
Thus, the wife of one of the officers, Lyudmila Monastyreva, had
worked as chief doctor in the coastal Tunisian town of Tabarka for many
years. A witness of those events, Anastasia Shirinskaya, who died six
months ago at the age of 97, had served as a mathematics teacher in one of
Tunisia's vocational schools. Naval officer Boris Novikov designed Beirut'
s most picturesque embankment.
The Russians established agricultural farms, built ports and roads and
organized fish breeding and processing industries.
"The memorial sea voyage with participation of Russian emigres and
Russian citizens devoted to the 90th anniversary of the White Russian army'
s evacuation from the Crimea is a tribute to the memory of the dignified
sons of the Fatherland who had to leave Russia," said Vladimir Yakunin,
the president of the Russian Railways Company, who heads the Saint Andrew
the First-Called Foundation.

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