Bulgaria will join the EU decisions to terminate contracts for the use and transit of Russian natural gas, and according to the Prime Minister, these contracts will be discontinued as early as next year.
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said this in New York following the insistence of US President Donald Trump to halt purchases of Russian gas as a sanction against Moscow for the war in Ukraine.
Zhelyazkov also commentedanother key topic of the day. Today, September 24, EU officials reminded Bulgaria that the establishment of an independent anti-corruption commission is a condition for receiving the second payment under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. The comment came in response to a letter from the leader of the “Renew Europe” group in the European Parliament, Valérie Aimé, in which the French MEP urged the European Commission to withhold Bulgaria’s RRP payments due to the arrest of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev.
Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov emphasised that the Bulgarian government has taken a clear position regarding Commissioner Jorgensen’s initiative to develop regulations that explicitly stipulate that short-term gas supply contracts from the Russian Federation will be terminated in 2026, and long-term contracts in 2028—a topic highlighted yesterday in US President Trump’s speech at the UN session.
Zhecho Stankov, Minister of Energy: “This provides Bulgaria with exceptional potential to become a key transit hub for natural gas from US LNG terminals.”
Yesterday, two deliveries were agreed for October and November, intended for Bulgarian citizens and businesses, sourced specifically from LNG terminals in the US region.
Following last week’s joint statement with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, regarding their support for the development of sites in Bulgaria for small modular reactors—a new, modern, and flexible technology attracting investment in data centres and artificial intelligence—the logical next step for Bulgaria is to begin talks with companies developing these technologies.
Tomorrow, Minister Stankov will travel to Canada, where he will meet with the provincial Minister of Energy in Ontario and visit one of the sites constructing the first four small modular reactors.
The diversification of electricity and natural gas sources was also a focus in Prime Minister Zhelyazkov’s discussion with the President of Azerbaijan.
“We specifically discussed green energy supplies from the Caspian region—six gigawatts from Azerbaijan, and together with other Caspian countries such as Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the total could reach up to ten gigawatts. Therefore, building a cable under the Black Sea, as well as cables connecting Georgia and Armenia through Turkey—especially given the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia—is becoming increasingly realistic. Green energy generated in this region will be another important source for Europe, including Bulgaria,” Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said.
In response to a question from BNT, the Prime Minister also commented on the request from the “Renew Europe” group in the European Parliament to freeze Bulgaria’s RRP funds due to the arrest of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev and the actions of the country’s anti-corruption commission.
“As a government, we emphasise that we have never interfered in the work of Bulgaria’s independent judiciary. Whenever a major political group in the European Parliament makes specific requests to the European Commission, these must be carefully considered. The government will assess the arguments and draw political conclusions from the claims, with the response to be delivered by Deputy Prime Minister Donchev later today,” Zhelyazkov said.
Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev officially announced that the Bulgarian citizen who was forcibly detained and mobilised in Odesa yesterday is now able to return home.
“Our aim is for our work to be effective, not public. The individual already has a Bulgarian passport issued, allowing him to leave Ukraine freely. I believe that in such situations, the more measured the reactions and the more they are focused on achieving a positive outcome, the greater the added value.”
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