Although Bulgarian exporters are seriously injured by the sanctions on Russia, the country will not back away from its current stance and will seek new markets, according to Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski.

Bulgaria’s Economy Minister met Monday with Ukraine’s Ambassador to Bulgaria Mykola Baltazhy.

Lukarski pointed out that Bulgaria would focus efforts on finding alternative markets and expressed hope that Ukraine would be one of them, according to the press office of the Economy Ministry.

“The stance of the Reformist Bloc and of the Bulgarian government envisages support for the EU sanctions on Russia. I do not believe that there is reason to alleviate or to revoke them,” Lukarski stated.

“Taking into account that the EU sanctions will continue, we will suffer many disadvantages. Despite that, we adamantly uphold the human values that we promote as a government,” he added.

Baltazhy expressed his gratitude for the assistance provided by Bulgaria, adding that what was happening in Ukraine was not only important for the future of the country but also for the protection of EU values and European and global security.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov declared in Brussels that the country sided with the EU stance that there was no reason to ease the sanctions against Russia.

“I am deeply convinced that the situation will change at a certain moment. I also believe that Russian citizens deserve better than what is happening. The EU understands that it needs to reformulate its stance on dialogue with Russia in the future on the basis of the developments in Ukraine,” he said after the EU summit of foreign ministers, according to dnevnik.bg.