Bulgaria will 'never negotiate' with Russia's Gazprom for gas supplies: Deputy PM Vassilev

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Assen Vassilev said that Bulgaria will "never again" negotiate with Russian energy giant Gazprom for gas supplies. Addressing the parliament on Thursday, 2 June, Vassilev said that the agreement with Gazprom will end at the end of the year and Russia has unilaterally suspended gas supplies to Bulgaria, Euractiv reported. The statement of the Bulgarian Deputy PM came after Gazprom in April halted gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland after they did not agree to pay for importing gas from Russia in rubles. 

Assen Vassilev underscored that if they continue to pay for supplies according to the contract and the company halts the supplies, they can no more rely on the same company for gas supplies. He stressed that the gas company could halt the gas supplies "when you are in a difficult situation" and called it an "unreliable partner," as per the Euractiv report. Assen Vassilev stressed that if they agree to sign a contract will Gazprom now and they halt the gas supplies in February, they "will be left without gas for the industry and without heating for the people." The Bulgarian Socialist Party, which is part of the ruling coalition has called for talks with the Russian gas company to resume the import of gas supplies. As per the news report, the Bulgarian state-owned company has been reminding Gazprom that they are not supplying gas to Bulgaria as per the contract which will expire at the end of the year.

Gazprom suspends gas supplies to Bulgaria, Poland & Denmark 

Earlier on 27 April, Russian energy giant Gazprom announced the suspension of gas supplies to Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz and Poland’s PGNiG as they had not made the payments in Russian rubles. Taking to their official Twitter handle, the Russian state-owned energy corporation had announced halting the gas supplies to Bulgargaz and PGNiG. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen had called the suspension of gas to Poland and Bulgaria by Gazprom "an attempt by Russia to blackmail" European Union. Similarly, Gazprom halted gas supplies to Denmark’s Orsted Salg & Service A/S as they did not pay for importing Russian gas in rubles. In May, Gazprom announced the suspension of gas supplies to Netherlands’ GasTerra B.V. and Finland’s Gasum as the company did not pay for Russian gas in supplies. Gazprom has suspended gas supplies to Bulgaria, Poland, Denmark and other countries as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that "unfriendly countries" need to pay for importing Russian gas in rubles. 

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