There were heated reactions in Parliament after the government announced that the contract with BOTAS would be frozen for 15 months following a meeting between Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The opposition criticised the governing parties and asked what price had been paid for reaching the agreement.
Progressive Bulgaria described the freezing of the BOTAS contract as a significant breakthrough with a positive economic impact.
Petar Vitanov, chairman of the Progressive Bulgaria parliamentary group:
“This contract was signed under completely different circumstances and in a completely different international environment, when it was being said that Russian gas would no longer be available anywhere. When the contract was signed, there were preliminary agreements with Hungary and Serbia. The subsequent governments destroyed them. The subsequent governments did not want to make political changes to the parameters of this contract, so they could use it as a political talking point and personally attack Radev. It is that simple.”
GERB-UDF recalled that until recently the narrative had been that the BOTAS agreement was highly advantageous.
Temenuzhka Petkova, a GERB-UDF MP:
“If the contract was really so beneficial, we should not be celebrating the fact that it has been frozen for the next 15 months. And note how the 15-month period coincides with the holding of local elections. If it is unfrozen in the 16th month, what happens to the accumulated obligations at present? Will someone forgive them, or will they be multiplied in some other way?”
In a statement, Delyan Peevski, leader of Movement for Rights and Freedoms, expressed satisfaction with the agreement to freeze the contract. He said he shared the stated rationale that Bulgaria and Turkey have a common interest in using the maximum available capacity for natural gas transmission.
Delyan Peevski, chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms:
“We share the stated reason for freezing the contract — that Bulgaria and Turkey have a common interest in using the maximum capacity for natural gas transmission, and work will continue on renegotiating the agreement between the two companies under current market conditions.”
The other opposition parties asked what Bulgaria had promised Turkey in return.
Ivaylo Mirchev, co-chairman of Yes Bulgaria:
“Bulgaria pays three times more to transport gas through BOTAS than it does, for example, to transport gas through Greece. As a result of BOTAS, Bulgargaz is already more than one billion leva in debt and is effectively bankrupt. What was promised to Turkey for this to happen — whether it is connected to infrastructure projects in Bulgaria or something else?”
Radoslav Ribarski, an MP from We Continue the Change:
“Over these three years, Bulgargaz has lost market share — it is now perhaps below 60% as a result of this contract. Things could become more favourable for Bulgaria if agreements are negotiated on market principles, like the ones we have with Greece or Azerbaijan.”
Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of Vazrazhdane, said:
“The Turks do nothing for free. If it turns out that discussions were indeed held about granting a concession for the Black Sea motorway to the Turkish state, that would constitute treason.”
Calls were also made for the Prime Minister to present MPs with all details surrounding the freezing of the contract and the government’s subsequent actions.
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