Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policy of the technical government of Bulgaria Hristo Aleksiev said that the country refused to discuss a new gas agreement with Russia’s Gazprom. His words are given on the website of the government of the republic.
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Aleksiev said at a meeting with the head of the Energy Directorate of the European Commission, Ditte Jull-Jorgensen, that the technical government would not deal with issues of gas agreements.
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The Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria noted that the representatives of the European Commission were familiarized with Sofia’s approach to ensuring supplies in the short and long term.
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Bulgaria also reaffirmed its interest in participating in the mechanism for joint purchases of energy carriers, the creation of which is planned within the framework of the Energy Platform of the European Union.
Bulgaria is ready to resume negotiations, but without a new contract.
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Bulgaria is ready to resume negotiations with Gazprom, but without signing a new contract, Energy Minister Rosen Hristov announced on August 26.
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Hristov noted that active negotiations are currently not underway. The Bulgarian side is waiting for a response until Monday. Sofia proposes to extend the transfer of the remaining volumes under the agreement until 2023.
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Bulgaria stopped receiving Russian gas from April 27, after the country did not begin to transfer the contract with Russia to the ruble form of payment. Sofia noted that Moscow’s request violates the terms of the agreement.
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At the end of July, Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova announced that Russian gas supplies to Bulgaria would be resumed if payment was made according to Gazprom’s requirements.
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On August 9, the director of the Bulgarian company Bulgargaz, Lyudmil Yotsov, admitted that he did not take seriously the official letter from Gazprom Export about paying for Russian gas in rubles.
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Bulgaria is facing a gas crisis: it is expected that fuel prices will rise sharply in August, said Ivan Topchiysk, chairman of the board of directors of Bulgargaz. According to him, now the country is experiencing a 40% shortage of gas by the beginning of the heating season.
