site.btaUPDATED Bulgaria Has Clear Position in Negotiations with Greece on Water Supply, PM Zhelyazkov Says

Bulgaria has a clear negotiating position in the talks with Greece on the water supply from the river, said Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov during a hearing in Parliament in connection with the intentions after requests from the Greek side to conclude by the end of May 2025 a long-term commercial agreement for the provision of regulated water supply on the Arda River for the needs of farmers in northern Greece.

Zhelyazkov did not clarify what the Bulgarian position is because it is subject to negotiations with the Greek side. "We will look for a temporary solution within a few months of this year so that we have the opportunity to negotiate a comprehensive agreement that goes beyond the subject of settling the specific issues raised", the PM added.  

The 1964 Agreement on the Settlement of Pending Financial Matters and the Development of Economic Cooperation between the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the Kingdom of Greece provides for a 60-year term for the supply of water from the Arda river. "The reparation obligation expired on July 9, 2024", the Prime Minister explained.

In 2024, the Bulgarian side has reached a decision to supply water from the river. Arda until the end of the agricultural season by concluding a temporary agreement between the National Electricity Company and the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in Greece to carry out regulated water supply from July 10, 2024 to September 30, 2024, Zhelyazkov informed. 

An inter-ministerial working group was established by order of October 6 last year, the composition of which has been regularly updated, including by me, he said. The aim is to elaborate a position reflecting Bulgaria's interests to the greatest extent, Zhelyazkov explained.  

"On February 5, 2024, an interdepartmental meeting was held, where representatives of the Directorate for South-East Europe were introduced for the first time to the draft of a comprehensive agreement between Bulgaria and Greece, which includes three protocols - development of a multimodal transport corridor between the two countries, supply of regulated water from the river Arda to Greece, cooperation between the two countries in the lease of areas and use of facilities for servicing the port of Alexandroupolis", Rosen Zhelyazkov said. 

At the beginning of the hearing, Stanislav Anastasov (MRF - New Beginning) called on the National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova to ask if they had classified information that the persons being heard would disclose so that the session could be closed.

Zhelyazkov pointed out that there was no classified information on the matter raised at the hearing. "All data and materials are public", he added.

To a question from Stanislav Anastasov (MRF-New Beginning), who from the Denkov government had led the talks with the Greek side, PM Zhelyazkov explained that initially the Ministry of Environment and Water was designated as the leading institution, and after the idea of linking the interest shown in the continuation of the water supply from Arda river to Greece with the Bulgarian interest in participating in the management of the port of Alexandroupolis, the then Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov created a new working group headed by Finance Minister Assen Vassilev. The working group was tasked with drafting a comprehensive agreement between Bulgaria and Greece on cooperation in areas of mutual interest. 

State Agency for National Security chair Plamen Tonchev said that the information was not classified, but this topic was extremely sensitive, both for Bulgaria and for its neighbours. He added that in January 2024 the inter-ministerial working group was moved from the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) to the Ministry of Finance. As to whether it had any official correspondence - perhaps the then Finance Minister or the Ministry of Finance's registry office in the registry office could be checked. The SANS chair said that they had sent a detailed report on the subject, which is dated April 17, 2024, to the PM, President and Chair of the National Assembly, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, which is marked "confidential".