site.btaUPDATED Foreign Minister: Bulgaria Remains Fully Committed to Providing Assistance in Ukraine's Energy Sector

As part of his visit to New York, caretaker Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov took part Monday in a meeting of the foreign ministers in the G-7+ format, dedicated to the support for the energy sector of Ukraine, said the press center of the Foreign Ministry.

The meeting was co-hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, in their capacity as 2024 rotating chair of the G7.

Against the background of intensifying Russian missile fire and drone attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the upcoming winter heating season, the discussion at the Foreign Ministers' Forum focused on identifying Ukraine's immediate needs and coordinating the efforts of the G7+ countries in the next six months.

In his speech at the meeting, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kondov pointed out that Russia's two-and-a-half-year-old full-scale military aggression against Ukraine is causing severe damage to civilians and critical civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine, causing death, human suffering, massive destruction, displacement and growing humanitarian needs, actions that seriously threaten the stability and security of the Black Sea region, Europe and the world. "Ukraine is a member of the democratic world and deserves our constant collective and multilateral support. We welcome all efforts to coordinate, collect and direct such assistance," Kondov told the forum participants.

Kondov stressed the commitment that Bulgaria has taken to provide active support for the energy security of Ukraine and to expand its bilateral energy cooperation and recalled that during the visit of President Zelenskyy to Bulgaria in July 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of energy was signed between the Ministries of Energy of Bulgaria and Ukraine and two joint working groups were created for natural gas and for nuclear energy. Kondov added that it is precisely those decisive steps taken in difficult times that truly demonstrate Bulgaria's support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people. "Bulgaria remains fully committed to providing assistance in Ukraine's energy sector, as well as in all other sectors where our assistance is needed," he concluded.

The meeting ended with a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the G-7+ countries, in which they strongly condemned Russia's ongoing attacks on Ukraine's energy and civilian infrastructure, which seriously threaten the country's energy security and the access of the people of Ukraine to critical services, and reaffirmed their unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and their determination to work for a complete, just and lasting peace based on international law and the principles of the United Nations, the Foreign Ministry also reported.

The G-7+ format was created within the framework of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on November 4, 2022 and serves as a platform to improve international coordination for the provision of equipment and financial support for Ukraine's energy system. Representatives of a number of international organizations such as the European Union, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Energy Community and the United Nations Development Programme also participate in the format. In December 2022, Bulgaria was invited for the first time to participate at the expert level, together with Czechia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.