A memorandum of cooperation is expected to be signed in due time with the Russian company Stroytransgaz and a draft-agreement for the construction of a gas pipeline in Macedonia should be inked by the end of the summer.

This was stated Friday in Saint Petersburg by Premier Nikola Gruevski after a meeting with the managing team of Russia's oil company Gazporm.

"It has been agreed a cooperation memorandum to be signed in the next couple of weeks. By the end of the summer, we expect to get the draft-agreement for the construction of a gas pipeline in Macedonia i.e. an infrastructure for transporting gas inside the country," stated Gruevski.

He said he anticipated the project to be started in late 2012 i.e. the first quarter of next year.