site.btaBorissov: "Sanctions Are Having Worse Effect on Bulgaria than on Russia Itself"

Borissov: "Sanctions Are Having Worse
Effect on Bulgaria than
on Russia Itself"


Brussels, December 19 (BTA correspondent Nickolay Jeliazkov) -
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that the EU
sanctions against Russia are affecting Bulgaria worse than they
do Russia. "Bulgaria has a package of problems with Russia that
it needs to solve and the sanctions which we support, are having
a worse effect on Bulgaria than on Russia itself," the
Bulgarian government leader said after a European Council on
Thursday.

He also said that failing to extend the life of Unit 5 of the
Kozloduy N-plant next year "will be a catastrophe for the price
of electricity in Bulgaria".

Borissov has briefed his counterparts on the issues Bulgaria is
facing in the energy sector, including the questions about the
South Stream project, the ideas for building a gas distribution
hub at Varna, on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, and the
opportunities for revival of the Nabucco West project. "They
[the government leaders] saw the kind of pressure we experience,
with the need to extend the life of the reactors of the
Kozloduy N-plant, the arbitration case [with Russia's
Atomstroyexport] in Geneva over [the suspended] Belene N-plant
project and others."

He blamed "the isolation of Bulgaria under the Plamen Oresharski
government" for not allowing the European leaders to see the
whole picture about Bulgaria and South Stream. "Only now did
they hear that we have an intergovernmental agreement [with
Russia] approved by the Bulgarian Parliament. We have
infringement procedures started by the European Commission over
faulty [pipeline construction] tenders but they never explained
that the bilateral agreement was signed in 2006-2007 when there
was no Third Energy Package - and we will be going to
arbitration again," said Borissov.

He said it is the position of EC President Juncker that Bulgaria
needs to do all preparation work for the pipeline, especially
for the off-shore section, to give Russia no grounds to claim
that the project was abandoned because of Bulgaria.

The EC advice for Bulgaria is to issue the requisite permits
because otherwise it risks defaulting on bilateral accords.
"Then we will hear whether or not Gazprom abandon the project.
If they do, it will be their fault, not Bulgaria's," said the
Bulgarian Prime Minster.

Borissov explained that the answer he had expected about what
Bulgaria should do with South Stream, was that the
intergovernmental agreement should be observed to avoid legal
sanctions and payment of compensations similar to the Belene
case. "Beyond that, all other commitments are the EU's."

The Prime Minister expressed hope that "President Vladimir Putin
and the diplomats would come to the conclusion that these
hostilities, provocations and sanctions are causing a huge
problem in Europe". "All countries are having losses and nothing
good awaits us. This is why I urged for more diplomacy - and
firmness of sanctions, of course - but also not to overdo with
the aggression because it is not a good solution either,' said
Borissov. PK/LN/




/СН/