Greece and Bulgaria have signed an agreement in Athens to reduce their dependence on Russian gas and oil. This will be done through a new pipeline. 

These Balkan states will cooperate in the procurement and storage of natural gas and will "explore" the creation of a new gas pipeline between the port of Alexandrapolis and Burgas, the Greek prime minister's office said. 

The agreements are "a step towards the strategic goal of European energy autonomy", said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after meeting with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. 

He said that Greek companies will be able to store natural gas in underground buildings in Cyrene, while Bulgarian companies will have access to the Greek terminal of Revitusa. 

"Both countries will have guaranteed access to buildings that are critical to their energy security," Mitsotakis said. 

He said that the agreement "returns our two countries to important routes for the distribution of gas, not only from Greece to Bulgaria, but also to the rest of Europe". 

Both countries have accelerated their projects to move away from dependence on Russian gas and oil. 

Earlier in February, Bulgaria began construction of a gas pipeline connecting it to Serbia, while Greece has increased its capacity to store liquefied natural gas.