Vassilev: “Terminate, Don’t Freeze” Bulgaria’s Botas Contract - Novinite. com - EUROPE SAYS
The contract between Bulgaria and Turkish energy company Botas should be terminated rather than temporarily frozen, according to Asen Vassilev, leader of opposition party We Continue the Change (PP) and MP. . .
The contract between Bulgaria and Turkish energy company Botas should be terminated rather than temporarily frozen, according to Asen Vassilev, leader of opposition party We Continue the Change (PP) and MP from the parliamentary group of the coalition. Vassilev accused Prime Minister Rumen Radev of making inaccurate statements about the energy decisions of the previous government led by Kiril Petkov. Speaking to journalists in Parliament, Vassilev argued that it was the caretaker government of Galab Donev that rejected previously arranged liquefied natural gas deliveries and later signed what he described as a harmful agreement with Botas. “I will just remind Mr. Radev that in addition to the two tankers that were received during the Petkov cabinet, five more tankers of liquefied gas were agreed upon, which were completely sufficient for Bulgaria to get through the winter,” Vassilev said. According to him, the caretaker government declined those supplies and subsequently concluded the agreement with the Turkish company, which he described as unfavorable for Bulgaria. Vassilev said that temporarily suspending payments under the Botas contract would not resolve the underlying issue. “The question is why the contract with Botas is not terminated,” he said, arguing that a 15-month freeze would still leave Bulgaria with nine more years of obligations under the agreement. According to Vassilev, the country could continue paying around USD 500,000 per day despite not receiving meaningful benefits from the deal. “We pay without receiving anything. This is a direct violation of the Bulgarian national interest,” he said. The PP leader also criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the contract, arguing that agreements involving billions of leva from taxpayers should be accessible to Bulgaria’s Parliament. “When it comes to billions from the pockets of Bulgarian taxpayers, these contracts should be made available at least to the National Assembly,” Vassilev said. He added that while officials often refer to protecting the national interest, decisions of this scale should be evaluated based on whether they benefit Bulgaria specifically. Commenting on the re-election of Anton Gechev as chairman of the State Intelligence Agency, Vassilev said he had reservations about Gechev’s performance. The PP leader did not provide further details but said he had concerns regarding the work of the intelligence chief.