site.btaVigenin Says New Sanctions against Russia Won't Affect Bulgaria Directly

Sofia, July 31 (BTA) - Answering a question at a news conference on Thursday,  Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin said that according to his Ministry the EU sanctions against Russia will not directly affect Bulgaria. He presented highlights of the Foreign Ministry's activity  in the past year.

Vigenin said: "I wish these were the last sanctions imposed on Russia because if any further steps are taken in this direction, they may lead to potential losses for Bulgaria."

"We have stated more than once that we are in favour of a negotiated settlement of the crisis [in eastern Ukraine]," Vigenin said. He recalled that the expansion of sanctions had been provoked by the fact that Russia had not taken the necessary steps yet to commit itself more directly to the resumption of talks and a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine.

Asked if projects for upgrades and repairs of Russian-made equipment will be affected, Vigenin said the effective contracts would not be affected by the sanctions, and the extension of those contracts would not be considered a new contract.

Asked to comment on the nomination of a Bulgarian EU commissioner, Vigenin said that besides Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, who expressed support for Kristalina Georgieva's nomination as the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, he himself backed her. "If I was somewhat critical of the procedures, it had nothing to do with Georgieva but with the way the President unilaterally announced her nomination in a television programme," said Vigenin.

Georgieva is currently Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response in the outgoing European Commission.

He added that if Georgieva had an ambition to take this position, now was the time she started commenting on foreign policy matters as well. It would be good to talk about other possible portfolios, he said, adding that while the post of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is prestigious, the country stands to gain smaller direct benefits from it than from other portfolios which do not seem so prestigious.

It would be good to hold some form of consultations about the expectations from the Bulgarian EU commissioner, said Vigenin. 

Reviewing the Foreign Ministry's main activities, the outgoing Foreign Minister said: "I am leaving the Ministry  with a sense of duty  done to the State and Bulgarian foreign policy."

Vigenin said: "I hope we will be in good dialogue with the  foreign minister of the caretaker government, as well as with  his successor, because there is no place for partisan bickering  and confrontation in foreign policy. It is time we stopped  taking a partisan approach to foreign policy and the diplomatic  service itself."

He said that Foreign Ministry staff were assessed according to  their qualities and professionalism, regardless of their  political predilections. He noted he had maintained a good  dialogue with the President.

The Foreign Minister commented that domestic politics was  complicated in the past year, and yet Bulgaria's foreign policy  was stable, predictable and achieved its goals. "We stated we  would conduct a balanced, prudent foreign policy based on  Bulgaria's national interests and the Euro-Atlantic values, and  this informed all our actions," Vigenin said.

He commented that developments in Ukraine fully dominated this  year. This will remain a challenge to the next government, not  just for Bulgaria but for the EU and NATO as well, he said.  Vigenin said NATO's role was a key element in this crisis and  Bulgaria managed to appreciate its membership in the Alliance. 
      
The chief diplomat noted his Ministry's actions regarding the refugee flow at the end of last summer.

"As a whole we managed to secure the important strategic balance  in Bulgaria's relations with the outside world," Vigenin said.

He also mentioned the ongoing preparation for Bulgaria's EU  Council Presidency in 2018, as well as the country's role regarding  the Eastern Partnership.

Vigenin reported a considerable improvement of the climate in  Bulgarian-Macedonian relations, which gives the opportunity in  the near future to finalize work on the bilateral  good-neighbourliness and cooperation agreement.

The outgoing Foreign Minister also said that he has visited the  capitals of all countries  on the route of the South Stream gas pipeline project. Each of  these states insists on the project's implementation, it is  important for the energy security of Europe as a whole, but  particularly of Southeastern Europe and part of the Central  European countries, he said. Vigenin expressed the hope that the  dialogue between the European Commission and Russia on the  matter will continue. A EU Member State cannot implement a  project which does now comply with the EU rules, but there are  many details that can be solved with good will, he noted. In his  words, the South Stream project should not become a victim of  the Ukraine crisis. 

The Foreign Ministry has worked actively on other matters  related to the energy sector and the gas supplies in relation to  the  construction of interconnections and supply of gas from  other sources, Vigenin also said. 

Another key priority is the protection of Bulgarian citizens'  rights and interests abroad, he said, adding that special  attention has been paid to the work with Bulgarian communities  in Moldova and Ukraine.