MOSKAU, July 27 (WNM) - The second line of the export gas pipeline TurkStream will pass through the territory of Bulgaria, not Greece, Russia’s Minister of Energy Alexander Novak said on the sidelines of a meeting of the Russian-Turkish intergovernmental commission, according to Reuters and TASS.

“[The second thread of the TurkStream will go through] Bulgaria, Hungary, and Serbia. To Bulgaria directly,” he said.

Novak also recalled that gas through the first line of the TurkStream will go through the pipeline starting from January 1, 2020.

The first line of TurkStream is intended to supply the domestic market of Turkey, the second — for the countries of South and Southeast Europe. Gazprom considers Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary as potential markets. The capacity of each line is 15.75 bln cubic meters of gas per year.

TurkStream's first line, designed only for Turkey's needs, is expected to start operating on Jan. 1, 2020.

The second leg, which is also planned for 15.75 billion cubic metres (bcm) annual capacity, the same as the first one, is to run from Bulgaria to Serbia and Hungary, Novak told reporters on Friday.

He did not say how the route was set to continue from Hungary. "The launch of the second leg depends on the (gas) infrastructure implementation by our (European) partners," Novak said.

Euractiv comments: "The real news is Russia’s choice for the route of the second leg via Bulgaria, and not Greece. This obviously means that the existing pipeline between Bulgaria and Turkey will be reversed, and that gas will start flowing in the opposite direction."