European countries and major gas producers taking part at a high-level energy meeting agreed Saturday to establish diverse supply connections and guaranteed gas deliveries for their industries already plagued by the global economic downturn, AP reported. The two-day meeting _ dubbed «Natural Gas for Europe, Security and Partnership» _ was attended by gas suppliers from the Caspian region, Central Asia and the Middle East, as well as importers from the Balkans and the European Union. Discussions were dominated by Europe's heavy dependency on Russian gas and its attempt to diversify its supply sources through new pipeline projects. Supporters of the South Stream pipeline, which will transport Russian natural gas under the Black Sea through Bulgaria to other European countries, sought the EU's endorsement. But Europe, which has been increasingly nervous about its reliance on Russia for energy, is supporting another pipeline, called Nabucco, which would import gas from the Caspian region and bypass Russia entirely.
