No compensation has been requested specifically from Bulgaria for the damaged cable in the Baltic Sea, said Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev

No official information has been received by Bulgarian institutions from the Swedish and Latvian authorities regarding compensation requests for the damaged fibre optic cable in the Baltic Sea. This was stated by Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev in response to the remarks made by Latvia's Prime Minister, Evika Siliņa, yesterday. She stated that Sweden and Latvia would seek compensation for the losses incurred, and that the investigation confirmed the "Vezhen" ship had damaged the cable.

• Sweden released Vezhen without consequences for crew and ship, suspicions of sabotage dismissed

"The Bulgarian side has never been held responsible. It has never been accused, nor has it been the subject of any comment from the Swedish or Latvian authorities, which I confirm after my talks with the Swedish State Secretary and the Latvian Foreign Minister in relation to the incident," said Minister Georg Georgiev.

"As I mentioned the other day, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the issue ended with the departure of the ship and with our assurance that the Bulgarian citizens are free. No charges have been brought against them, and as the Swedish Prosecutor's Office also stated, the suspicion of sabotage has been dismissed," the minister further explained.

The Swedish authorities released the Maltese-flagged Bulgarian ship "Vezhen" a few days ago, which was suspected of damaging the underwater communication cable between Latvia and Sweden on January 26. The ship set sail after receiving permission.