On March 4 and 5 Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev paid an official visit to Bulgaria. Some analysts assumed that his visit to Sofia would yield positive developments with regard to the ideas about the extension of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline on Bulgarian territory, the Balkan Gas Hub project and the construction of the Belene nuclear power plant. Several days before the visit of Russia’s Premier Medvedev to Sofia Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev called on the Bulgarian cabinet to materialize this visit and avoid becoming hostage to foreign interests.

In fact, both Bulgaria and Russia have admitted that their bilateral relations today are far from what they were in the past, when these countries were not standing on the opposite poles of world politics. That is why during the visit of Dmitry Medvedev to Sofia his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov pointed out that Bulgaria and Russia have maintained very good and pragmatic relations in times of sanctions and managed to keep the good tone despite the difficult international relations.

During his official visit to Sofia Russia’s Premier Medvedev did not meet the expectations of a positive development of the idea about an extension of the Turkish Stream gas project through Bulgaria. Premier Medvedev categorically said that transit of Russian gas through Bulgaria to Europe will become possible when Moscow receives guarantees by the European Commission that this project would not face impediments in the future.

Premier Borissov told his Russian counterpart Medvedev that Bulgaria wants to continue transiting Russian gas to Europe and intends to do so via the Balkan Gas Hub project. However, Alexey Miller, CEO of the Russian energy giant Gazprom made it clear that the Russian state energy company was not planning to participate at the future Balkan Gas Hub project, because all its resources in this region were already negotiated in the long run.

With regard to Belene NPP Premier Medvedev commented that Russia was ready to reconsider its participation in the project. However, it would become possible only when Sofia takes the necessary decisions related to the financial and economic model of the project and the maintenance procedures of the Belene nuclear power plant. However, Bulgaria has not taken such decisions yet.

In the line of good tone in bilateral relations, mentioned by Bulgarian Premier Boyko Borissov, Premier Medvedev demonstrated his sense of humor during his visit to Sofia. He mentioned a reference he was given, according to which tourist flow from Bulgaria to Russia increased to 56 million people in the past five years, but in fact it amounted to just over 50,000 people. Before he departed to Russia Dmitry Medvedev also said: I just got an idea regarding the fact that the Bulgarian national currency is pegged to the Euro: The Chinese Yuan is a good currency too. You might start thinking in this direction. And the market is enormous.

When Dmitry Medvedev was still paying his visit to Sofia, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed a decree suspending this country’s obligations under the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Two days earlier Bulgaria’s Premier Boyko Borissov told the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Sofia that Bulgaria is a faithful ally and is not Russia’s Trojan horse to the North-Atlantic Alliance. Premier Borissov is right to say that it is important to maintain the good tone in Bulgaria-Russia bilateral relations in times of difficult international relations.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov