NEWS

President in Greece: Bulgaria Has Proven to Be a Respected Partner and Energy Policy Centre in the Balkans and Eastern Europe

The budget proposed reflects the decisions adopted by MPs in several successive parliaments, Rumen Radev said

From a territory through which only Russian gas passed, Bulgaria has turned into a centre of energy policy in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. This country is implementing long-term, sustainable and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries with common goals and vision for the region. This is what President Rumen Radev told the media in Greece, where he is on a visit to participate in the Delphi Economic Forum, which brings together heads of state and government, representatives of business and the non-governmental sector.

Speaking to reporters, the head of State said that the caretaker government had managed to resolve strategic challenges for Bulgaria in a very short period of time, recalling the critical situation of the energy sector in the summer of last year, when Bulgaria found itself without natural gas supplies, without tenders, slots and access to liquefied gas terminals; fuel prices were extremely high and the interconnector with Greece was not put into operation. Currently, Bulgaria is receiving gas from Azerbaijan and has free access to six terminals in the Mediterranean, as well as to the gas transmission systems of both Greece and Turkiye, Rumen Radev added, pointing out that Bulgaria was currently shaping the energy strategy of the region with a number of countries interested in cooperating with this country and actively seeking partnership with it. The President also said that over the past seven months the caretaker government had managed to conclude transparent long-term contracts for the supply of natural gas, put into operation the interconnector with Greece, signed an agreement with Turkiye for access to all its liquefied gas terminals and to the Botas gas transmission network, received access to the Greek terminals, signed a memorandum on the Solidarity Ring project initiated by Bulgaria, and the SOCAR company opened an office in Sofia.

The head of State said that the changed attitude towards Bulgaria is due to the active efforts of this country, which is working on various initiatives and projects.  In Rumen Radev's words, Bulgaria has made the best use of its geographical position, defending not only its national interests, but also contributing to achieving the interests of our partners and allies. This is the key to success - when you propose a strategy not only to satisfy your own interests, but also to think about the interests of others, then the effect is multiplied and this inspires confidence, the President said. The head of State added that the 'dream of a gas hub' repeated all the time a while ago, had been upgraded to a higher and effective level, as Bulgaria is now not only a platform for gas trade, but initiates projects of great importance for the security of supply and diversification of energy raw materials in Europe.

Asked about the budget submitted by the caretaker government and the anticipated deficit, the President pointed out that the draft fully reflected the decisions that had been adopted by MPs in several successive parliaments. All this illustrates of their policy so far, Rumen Radev said.

Responding to a question about the European integration of the Republic of North Macedonia, President Rumen Radev pointed out that if Bulgaria's southwestern neighbour wants to finally start accession negotiations, it should include Bulgarians in its Constitution, as is the requirement in the negotiating framework. If the RNM wants to complete these negotiations successfully, it must fulfil the conditions of the negotiating framework adopted by the EU and the RNM itself, the head of state specified, pointing out that this depends on the political leadership of the Republic of North Macedonia.

On the sidelines of the forum, President Radev held meetings with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides, during which approaches to economic recovery and bridling the inflation were discussed. The importance of cooperation in the energy sector was highlighted, as well as natural gas exploration in the Mediterranean. The two Presidents stressed the significance of effectively countering illegal migration as a factor in ensuring the safety of European citizens. They also discussed the positive role of the Bulgarian community in Cyprus, which is well integrated in the country and contributes to the development of bilateral relations.

Earlier in the day, Rumen Radev held talks with representatives of various companies, including Philip Morris and Gastrade S.A., who expressed their appreciation for the partnership with the Bulgarian institutions and their intentions for further investments and expansion of cooperation with Bulgaria.