“We are seeing how energy is being weaponized,” Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said at a forum dedicated to energy security taking place in Sofia.

“I believe that with insignificant infrastructure modernization, there will be solutions that we can all use and take advantage of,” Finance Minister Assen Vassilev said.

“The gas interconnection between North Macedonia and Bulgaria is taken up entirely by Gazprom. Knowing that it takes unilateral measures, we will join the planned working group so as to find solutions of mutual interest,” said North Macedonia’s Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi.

The Director General for Energy of the European Commission Ditte Juul Jørgensen on her part stated that “our best counter-weapon is solidarity”, and called for the question of filling the EU’s gas storage facilities to be resolved by next winter.