Bulgaria suspends Russia's gas project, Serbia doesn't

On Sunday, the Bulgarian government announced it will suspend the construction of the controversial South Stream gas pipeline over criticism issued by the EU and US.

Gazprom's $45 billion investement is the suspected reason for not meeting EU's standards and regulations for natural gas delivery.

Until Bulgaria will prove the legitimacy of the gas pipeline construction, any undergoing operation at the South Stream will be halted.

Serbia, on the other hand, announced that it will not halt the construction work of the pipeline segment that crosses its territory: 'Such a decision should be made by the Serbian government and the Serbian government did not sit. As far as we are concerned, everything is going as planned with the South Stream project… If there is any change in this regard, the government will make a decision and you will be informed,' announced Aleksander Vucic, Serbia's Prime Minister.

The South Stream project belongs to the Russian gas giant, Gazprom. The pipeline is meant to offer Russia an alternative route to deliver gas to Europe, besides through the Ukrainian gas pipeline. The South Stream begins in Russia, arrives in Bulgaria at the Black Sea, goes on across Serbia and other European countries and ends in northern Italy.

EU's criticism of the gas delivery project comes in a moment of high tensions between Russia and the western countries in Europe over the recent political turmoil in Ukraine and Crimea.

Now, Russian and Bulgarian reprezentatives must commence negotiations with the EU in order to resume the South Stream project.