The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Presidents of Bulgaria and Serbia, Rumen Radev and Alexandar Vucic, along with EU Ambassador to Serbia Emanuele Giofre and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.

This comes after the pipeline suffered a rupture in early October 2023, prompting a shutdown due to seismic signals indicating a possible explosion near Paldiski, Estonia.

This decision follows legal proceedings initiated by a traditional landowner seeking to halt the pipeline works until a thorough assessment of its impact and risks to underwater cultural heritage is conducted.

A leaked document revealed the re-inclusion of the controversial pipeline, sparking renewed criticisms and debates around the project's legitimacy and ethical considerations.

The decision, prompted by a legal challenge from Simon Munkara, a traditional landowner from the Tiwi Islands, followed concerns over the potential impact on underwater cultural heritage sites.

Despite the warning, the agency has reassured the public of the country's gas market stability.

This issue has escalated, with political divisions arising between various parties regarding the immediate cessation of the derogation.

Kallas made this assertion during a meeting with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Brussels on October 26.

The project has been hailed as a promising development for the local economy, with expectations of a substantial increase in employment and positive outcomes for the regional supply chain.

In a press conference on October 24, the NBI disclosed that significant progress had been made in the investigation, shedding light on the technical specifics of the incident.