ATHENS, February 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russian energy giant Gazprom has been invited to join the construction of a major oil pipeline from Bulgaria to Greece, CEO Alexei Miller said Thursday. "Gazprom has been invited to join the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project," he said.

Russian Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said Thursday that a Russian-Bulgarian-Greek committee would meet in March 2006 to discuss the construction of the 280-km pipeline, which should have an initial throughput capacity of 35 million metric tons rising to 50 million mt and is thought to carry a price tag of over 783 million euros.

The Russian, Bulgarian and Greek governments signed a memorandum on the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline construction in April 2005.