Sofia, Bulgaria: The Russian Federation has suspended the supply of gas to the Balkan state. As per the information present, the Gazprom Export is suspending the supply of gas to Bulgaria from today onwards.Â
In response to the action, the Bulgarian administration stated that it has been preparing for such a situation for the past months. The official spokesperson of Bulgaria’s administration asserted, “There are alternative supplies provided, and there is no reason to panic”.Â
In its statement, the Bulgarian Energy Minister added, “The Bulgarian side has fully fulfilled its obligations and has completed all the payments needed under this agreement, in a timely manner, strictly and in accordance with its clauses”.Â
“After an analysis by the state company Bulgargaz and the Bulgarian Energy Holding, it was found that the new two-stage payment procedure proposed by Russia is not in line with the existing contract until the end of this year and poses significant risks for Bulgaria, including to make payments without receiving any gas supplies from the Russian side”.Â
“The Ministry of Energy, the Bulgarian Energy Holding, Bulgargaz and Bulgartransgaz have taken steps to find alternative arrangements for the supply of natural gas and to deal with the situation. At present, no restrictive measures are required for consumption in Bulgaria”, the statement of the Energy Ministry further cites.Â
Meanwhile, the MP from Democratic Bulgaria, Ivaylo Mirchev, stated that Gazprom surprisingly made the announcement of suspending gas supplies, saying the Russian President – Vladimir Putin’s and Gazprom’s words are not trustworthy.Â
Following the above statement, Mirchev added, “Not only that – Borisov built them a gas pipeline that bypassed Ukraine for BGN 3 billion (paid by Bulgarian taxpayers). Bulgaria will cope; there will be gas. Due to the extraordinary circumstances, it will be at a higher price in the beginning, but solutions will be sought in this direction as well.Â