Borissov: "Sanctions Are Having Worse

Effect on Bulgaria than

on Russia Itself"





Brussels, December 19 (BTA correspondent Nickolay Jeliazkov) -

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that the EU

sanctions against Russia are affecting Bulgaria worse than they

do Russia. "Bulgaria has a package of problems with Russia that

it needs to solve and the sanctions which we support, are having

a worse effect on Bulgaria than on Russia itself," the

Bulgarian government leader said after a European Council on

Thursday.



He also said that failing to extend the life of Unit 5 of the

Kozloduy N-plant next year "will be a catastrophe for the price

of electricity in Bulgaria".



Borissov has briefed his counterparts on the issues Bulgaria is

facing in the energy sector, including the questions about the

South Stream project, the ideas for building a gas distribution

hub at Varna, on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, and the

opportunities for revival of the Nabucco West project. "They

[the government leaders] saw the kind of pressure we experience,

with the need to extend the life of the reactors of the

Kozloduy N-plant, the arbitration case [with Russia's

Atomstroyexport] in Geneva over [the suspended] Belene N-plant

project and others."



He blamed "the isolation of Bulgaria under the Plamen Oresharski

government" for not allowing the European leaders to see the

whole picture about Bulgaria and South Stream. "Only now did

they hear that we have an intergovernmental agreement [with

Russia] approved by the Bulgarian Parliament. We have

infringement procedures started by the European Commission over

faulty [pipeline construction] tenders but they never explained

that the bilateral agreement was signed in 2006-2007 when there

was no Third Energy Package - and we will be going to

arbitration again," said Borissov.



He said it is the position of EC President Juncker that Bulgaria

needs to do all preparation work for the pipeline, especially

for the off-shore section, to give Russia no grounds to claim

that the project was abandoned because of Bulgaria.



The EC advice for Bulgaria is to issue the requisite permits

because otherwise it risks defaulting on bilateral accords.

"Then we will hear whether or not Gazprom abandon the project.

If they do, it will be their fault, not Bulgaria's," said the

Bulgarian Prime Minster.



Borissov explained that the answer he had expected about what

Bulgaria should do with South Stream, was that the

intergovernmental agreement should be observed to avoid legal

sanctions and payment of compensations similar to the Belene

case. "Beyond that, all other commitments are the EU's."



The Prime Minister expressed hope that "President Vladimir Putin

and the diplomats would come to the conclusion that these

hostilities, provocations and sanctions are causing a huge

problem in Europe". "All countries are having losses and nothing

good awaits us. This is why I urged for more diplomacy - and

firmness of sanctions, of course - but also not to overdo with

the aggression because it is not a good solution either,' said

Borissov. PK/LN/









/СН/

Source: Brussels