site.btaEnergy Ministry: Opportunities to Improve Parties' Positions on Botas Gas Agreement to Be Considered by May 2

By May 2, the possibilities for improving the parties' positions on the agreement between the Bulgarian companies Bulgargaz, Bulgartransgaz and Turkiye's Botas will be considered, it was agreed in Baku by Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov and his Turkish counterpart Alparslan Bayraktar, who participated in the 11th ministerial meeting of the Consultative Council for the Southern Gas Corridor. During their meeting, ministers Stankov and Bayraktar gave a mandate to the companies from their countries to thoroughly explore options on how to make the agreement work in the interest of both Bulgaria and Turkiye.

“Turkiye is our strategic partner in the implementation of our priorities related to diversification and energy security,” Minister Stankov emphasized. In his words, deepening the cooperation in the energy field will fully contribute to the development of a competitive energy sector both in Bulgaria and in its southern neighbour. 

Following the talks between the experts, it is expected at political level to consider the possibilities for increasing the capacity for natural gas transmission at the Bulgarian-Turkish border.

Stankov and Bayraktar agreed that technical work on the implementation of the green energy corridor, for which four countries signed a memorandum in Baku, will start in Bulgaria in the coming week. Deputy ministers from relevant ministries and energy operators are to meet in Sofia to start the process of work on the new energy corridor.

Exploration and prospecting activities for oil and natural gas in the Black Sea were also a topic of discussion between the two ministers. “The Turkish side is interested in joining the search in our blocks in the Black Sea and we are satisfied that we can have a partner with great expertise,” Minister Stankov stressed.