Russia’s ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova said she hoped the next government would be more pragmatic than the current one.

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In an interview with Russia's state news agency TASS on Thursday, she stated that Bulgaria is a member of the European union and of NATO, but that “it is finding it difficult to construct its own line of behavior”. “Nevertheless, the economic situation will force our country to adopt a more pragmatic approach,” she says.

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In a different interview yesterday for Russia-24 state-owned TV channel, Mitrofanova says further that the agreement with Russia’s Gazprom is valid until the end of the year and Bulgaria could resume the contract provided it meets Russia’s requirements and pays in rubles.

As regards the reduction in staff of the Russian embassy in Bulgaria, after the decision by Kiril Petkov cabinet to extradite 70 Russian embassy staff from the country for espionage, Mitrofanova says the situation is extremely complex but Russia will not turn its back on its relations with Bulgaria.

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