Russian gas giant Gazprom chief, Alexei Miller listens to journalists' questions during a joint press conference with Bulgaria's Prime minister after signing an agreement for the South Stream pipeline project in Sofia on November 15, 2012. Gazprom signed a deal today in Sofia allowing a major new pipeline, the 3,600-kilometre (2,200-mile) South Stream pipeline, to pass through Bulgaria on its way to Western Europe from late 2015 onwards, stealing a march on rival EU-backed projects aimed at reducing the bloc's energy dependence on Moscow. AFP PHOTO / NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV