FOREIGN MINISTER VIGENIN: BULGARIA WOULD FACE A NEW GAS CRISIS IF GAS EXPORTS THROUGH UKRAINE WERE STOPPED

Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister, Kristian Vigenin, said that if the European Union did not quickly provide financial assistance to Ukraine to pay for the Russian gas supply, the risk of a new gas crisis in Bulgaria was rather realistic and might repeat the scenario of the events from 2009, when Ukraine suspended the gas transit.

Vigenin commented the gas issues during his participation in a discussion with students and lecturers from the Economics University in the Black Sea city of Varna on 14th May.

Vigenin said that Bulgaria would be one of the hardest affected countries if the gas transit routes via Ukraine were suspended. He noted that Bulgaria should make it clear to the Ukrainian authorities that gas transit was not part of the bilateral relations between Russia and Ukraine and that both countries were obliged to fulfill their commitments. Russia has the obligation to ensure the amounts of gas. Ukraine is obliged to ensure the transit route, but given the complicated situation, Bulgaria may face problems if the transit is cut, Vigenin remarked.