MFA works strategically for Bulgaria’s energy security
12 April 2019 News
The energy independence of Bulgaria is a strategic priority of the country’s foreign policy, said Deputy Foreign Minister Emilia Kraleva in a panel discussion that was part of the conference on the development of the East European gas markets and the quest for security through diversification, organized by the Center for Balkan and Black Sea Studies and the Institute of Energy Research.
‘Bulgaria’s diplomacy is working on this matter at all levels, in multilateral as well as bilateral formats,’ said the Deputy Minister. She went on to say that the issue of energy security is among the priorities of the current chairmanship of the Organization for Black Sea Economic Cooperation, but was also one of the centerpieces of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The Deputy Minister underscored that Bulgarian diplomacy has invested and will continue to invest a lot of effort into the implementation of the project for a building gas interconnector between Bulgaria and Greece. This will ensure, for the first time, a genuine diversification of the sources of energy, including the quantities of natural gas negotiated with Azerbaijan, an opportunity for liquefied natural gas supply from the proposed LNG floating terminal at Alexandroupolis, but also a real opportunity for trade in natural gas. ‘That interconnector should be priority No. 1 for the State in its gas policy, and has the full support of the MFA,’ she underscored. Emilia Kraleva went on to say that this priority fits squarely into the understanding of the Bulgarian foreign policy regarding the development of South-Eastern Europe. ‘Our support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans is a lasting priority, directly related to the need for more connectivity, including via the gas corridors. This is a way to achieve greater security and stability for ourselves and our neighbors,’ she stressed.
Bulgaria also follows attentively the exploration of new gas fields in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean. ‘The matter concerns countries like Greece, Israel and Cyprus, with which we maintain close relations, and projects lie East Med are of major interest for us in our drive towards genuine diversification. To us it is important to participate in the future in such projects, rather than be mere onlookers,’ said Deputy Minister Kraleva.
Taking part earlier on in the conference were Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova and Ivan Ivanov, the Chairman of the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation, as well as members of diplomatic missions, of Bulgarian and foreign energy companies.
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