Assen Vassilev: Rumen Radev's action in defence of Gazprom is a disgrace for the presidential institution

published on 10/26/23 4:08 PM

Photo: BGNES

President Rumen Radev has referred to the Constitutional Court the decision by Sofia to impose a gas transit fee, but this will not stop the implementation of the law and I am waiting for the first revenues on November 14, said Finance Minister Assen Vassilev. He added that all states using the gas transit network through the country would have to verify whether the fuel was of Russian origin.

President Radev addresses Constitutional Court over government's decision to tax Russian gas transit

The minister accused the head of state of defending Gazprom rather than the national interest. "The national interest is the interest of the Republic of Bulgaria, not the Russian Federation or Gazprom," he stressed at a briefing.

Assen Vassilev insisted that Rumen Radev's decision was against the policy of Bulgaria and its government and was a disgrace to the presidential institution.

Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov also commented on Rumen Radev's decision to appeal to the Constitutional Court. "The president is in no way protecting Bulgarian interests, and whether he is protecting foreign interests - everyone can think for themselves. Maybe he is protecting the interests of other countries - Russia, Hungary, Serbia, I don't know, but he is not protecting Bulgaria's interests," he said from Brussels.

The prime minister recalled that all the information about Bulgaria's decision to charge a transit fee for Russian gas had been sent to the European Commission, but no one there had said that it was not legitimate.

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