"Offers of mediation by Bulgaria look hypocritical"
In January-November 2024, Russia's trade turnover with Bulgaria fell by 74%, and all official contacts have been terminated on Sofia's initiative, Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova told Izvestia. Bulgaria has refused to supply Russian gas, nevertheless our energy resources continue to flow into the country through intermediaries, the diplomat emphasized. She also drew attention to the fact that Moscow does not treat the appearance of a full-fledged NATO brigade in Bulgaria as an "ordinary event". Especially considering the fact that Sofia is an active arms supplier to Kiev. On the chances of restoring relations with Bulgaria after the past elections and the peculiarities of the work of the Russian diplomatic mission in this republic - in an exclusive interview with Eleonora Mitrofanova.
"In 2024, the volume of bilateral trade has significantly decreased"
- On February 10, Russia will celebrate the Day of Diplomatic Worker. In what kind of environment do you have to work in Bulgaria now, is the pressure on Russian representatives increasing?
- Compared to several decades ago, the work of a diplomat in the countries of the collective West, including Bulgaria, has changed dramatically. In the 1990s and early 2000s, we believed that we could overcome dividing lines, build a common space, as they said then, from the Atlantic to Vladivostok, and live in peace and mutual understanding. Unfortunately, the West's desire to make us a "junior" partner and to prevent us from strengthening our sovereignty and economic independence has led to what we have now.
Undoubtedly, the Ukrainian crisis is only one part of a larger puzzle to contain Russia. Pressure is being exerted on our country on all fronts, and the diplomatic front is no exception. In June 2022, after the expulsion of 70 employees of our foreign institutions, Sofia set us quotas for diplomatic and administrative technical staff. Formally "temporarily", but in fact with no prospects for resumption of work in the foreseeable future, the Consulate General of Russia in Ruse was closed at the initiative of the Bulgarians. The Consulate General of Russia in Varna has also suspended its activities due to the requirement to vacate the premises.
At the same time, it must be recognized that Russian-Bulgarian relations in their long history have gone through various stages - both ups and downs. We believe that after the current "dark streak" there will definitely be bright times.
- How has the trade turnover between Russia and Bulgaria changed under the EU sanctions?
- In the first year and a half after the start of the EEU sanctions, we saw an unprecedented intensification of trade relations. For example, in 2022 the trade turnover between Russia and Bulgaria reached a record $6.8 billion, in 2023 - $4 billion, which is comparable to the indicators of quiet years for bilateral relations. Everyone was trying to "jump into the last carriage" before the EU politicians adopted another package of sanctions to the detriment of their own business interests. And so it happened. In 2024, the volume of bilateral trade has significantly decreased: in January-November it amounted to about $1 billion, which is 74% less than in the same period of 2023. Among the main items of our exports to Bulgaria are unprohibited fuels, aluminum, fertilizers, and iron products.
Restrictions of Brussels have boomeranged on the Bulgarian economy. The widespread rise in energy and fertilizer prices caused by the EU's actions has affected the purchasing power of the population. Inflation in 2022 and 2023 reached 15 and 9% respectively. The industrial production index has literally plummeted. At 12.7% in 2022, it fell to -8.4% in 2023 and continues to remain in the negative range. Due to the constant compensation of consumers and businesses due to high energy prices, the burden on the state budget has increased, exacerbating the debt problem. Bulgaria's state debt has increased by 50% since 2021 and exceeded $27 billion (22.9% of GDP).
It is symptomatic that the mainstream media and politicians do not raise the issue of the impact of sanctions on the Bulgarian economy - apparently, it is more convenient to pretend that nothing is happening than to deal with the root causes of this state of affairs.
"All contacts at the official level, on Sofia's initiative, have been nullified"
- Even in difficult conditions, are the sides now discussing possible visits of official delegations?
- "The "sides" are not discussing anything at the moment. All contacts at the official level, on Sofia's initiative, have been nullified. Moreover, according to circulars of the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Science, it is "recommended" (read - forbidden) not to communicate with us and cultural and educational institutions, as well as municipal authorities.
It seems to me that intensification of cooperation will become possible only when there are shifts at the global level - first of all, in relations between Moscow and Washington. The ball is now in the West's court - our president has repeatedly stated that we do not refuse to cooperate with it, but only on the conditions of mutual respect and consideration of each other's interests.
- In October 2024, parliamentary elections will be held in the republic. Is there any chance that they will have a positive impact on Russian-Bulgarian cooperation?
- Bulgaria is in a protracted political crisis: the extraordinary parliamentary elections held here in October 2024 were the seventh since April 2021. At the same time, governments are changing, but not the foreign policy course: the country remains an executive and in some ways even fanatical member of NATO and the EU, unconditionally following the instructions of Washington and Brussels, striving to be at the forefront of assistance to Ukraine and anti-Russian rhetoric.
The new cabinet was formed only recently, on January 16, and so far too little time has passed to judge the changes. Let's hope that common sense will prevail and the Bulgarian leadership will be more moderate and constructive on the Russia track.
"The EU has overpaid almost €200 billion for blue fuel since sanctions against Russia were imposed"
- Bulgaria and Gazprom's agreement to buy Russian gas expired in December. Is Sofia discussing with Moscow the possible activation of contacts with the holding company? Is there a request from Bulgaria to return to the purchase of Russian gas?
- Legally, Gazprom Export's contract with Bulgaria expired in 2024. In fact, no supplies have been made since April 2022, when the local state operator Bulgargaz refused to switch to a new method of payment for gas in rubles. The government of Kirill Petkov, which was in power at the time, decided to completely cut off years of trusting ties in favor of the political conjuncture. Subsequent Bulgarian administrators were forced to look for alternative sources of supply from scratch, which created significant risks for the economy and local businesses and led to a number of unfavorable consequences.
The EU as a whole, according to Eurostat calculations, has overpaid almost €200 billion for blue fuel since the sanctions against Russia were imposed. It now costs an average of €15.2 billion a month to buy gas from Europeans, although in 2021 the monthly expenditure was €6 billion. This applies to Bulgarians as well. The financial situation in Bulgargaz is very unfavorable: only in the first quarter of 2024 the company's losses amounted to about €50 million. At the same time, Russian resources continue to flow into the country through intermediaries.
There is no talk of resuming its direct purchases. At least, we are not aware of them. Taking into account the arbitration case against Gazprom Export, which the Bulgarian side initiated in July 2024, such a scenario is unlikely in the near future.
- Is Sofia engaged in a dialog with other EU countries on gas supplies in connection with the termination of transit by Ukraine? Has Sofia addressed the Russian Embassy with this issue?
- Direct negotiations between Sofia and other countries on gas supplies are a matter for the Bulgarian government. Bulgaria itself does not have its own developed fields, but it has a well-developed gas transportation infrastructure, which allows it to act as a transit country and receive substantial benefits from it. As for requests directly to the Russian side, we are not aware of any. Such requests usually go directly to Gazprom Export.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly declared Russia's readiness to sell blue fuel to Europe. However, I would like to emphasize that the future of such supplies depends entirely on the position of the buyers, the transit country and the availability of free capacities. The current political line, which we observe in some states, is definitely not conducive to the start of the negotiation process.
"If we talk in general about negotiations on Ukraine, we are ready for them"
- Bulgaria intends to build a military camp to accommodate a NATO multinational combat team, which will receive more than 2,000 alliance servicemen. Could the appearance of this town mean an escalation in relations with Russia?
- Such a multinational combat group has been functioning in Bulgaria since 2022, its number is close to 1.2 thousand people. Now there are talks about transforming it into a brigade, which would mean increasing the number of military personnel to 5,000. It is common to say here that this transformation will be carried out "in case of necessity" and it is necessary to prepare an appropriate base for it in advance.
The construction of such a military camp, of course, is unlikely to provoke an increase in tension in bilateral relations. But its creation cannot be considered in isolation from NATO's policy of expansion and its insistence on bringing the alliance's military infrastructure close to our borders.
Taking into account the openly unfriendly nature of the North Atlantic Alliance, it is hardly possible to treat the appearance of a full-fledged NATO brigade in Bulgaria as an "ordinary event" conditioned by "allied obligations".
- Earlier, Romanian National Defense Minister Angel Tylvare signed a letter of intent to create a "corridor of military mobility" between Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey at a meeting of the heads of military departments of NATO member states in Brussels. What is Russia's position on the creation of such a "corridor"?
- "Military mobility corridors", or, as they are sometimes called, "military Schengen", are another step on the path of consistent militarization of NATO's "eastern flank". They involve facilitating and accelerating the movement of soldiers and weapons across the territory of the alliance member states. Of course, such initiatives by their very nature cannot be exclusively peace-loving.
It is noteworthy that representatives of NATO and its member countries, including Bulgaria, persist in insisting on the "defensive purpose" of the bloc. The truth is that the world has repeatedly witnessed the aggression of the alliance without any international legal grounds. Including here in the Balkans.
As to whether the creation of "corridors of military mobility" has been discussed with us, the answer is, of course, obvious: no, it has not.
- Dimitar Glavchev, who was the head of the technical government, said at the NATO summit in Washington that Bulgaria could offer to organize negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, at which Sofia would assume the role of mediator....
- One can say anything, but it is better to judge by deeds. Neither before nor after Dimitar Glavchev's statement did Bulgaria stop its participation in pumping weapons into the AFU. Moreover, Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov has repeatedly admitted to the media that Sofia tries to "satisfy as much as possible" the requests for arms, ammunition and equipment received from Kiev on a regular basis. Against this background, any offers of mediation services look, to put it mildly, hypocritical.
If we are talking in general about negotiations on Ukraine, we are ready for them - taking into account our interests and concerns, of course. The conditions for achieving a peaceful settlement are known, and Vladimir Putin listed them last June: the withdrawal of AFU troops from Russian regions, Kiev's recognition of the new territorial realities, the consolidation of Ukraine's non-aligned non-nuclear status, its demilitarization and denazification, as well as ensuring the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of the Russian-speaking population of this country.
By the way, back in June we passed the text of the President's speech to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry and drew our colleagues' attention to the peace proposal contained therein. There was, however, no reaction from Sofia to our note.
"The very fabric of Russian-Bulgarian relations remains intact"
- Bulgaria has always been considered a popular destination for Russian tourists. How much has the flow decreased after the start of the SWO?
- The tourist flow between our countries dropped sharply during the pandemic and has not returned to its previous level since then. If before 2020 Bulgaria was visited by about 450 thousand Russian citizens a year, now this figure barely reaches 140 thousand. And most of them are homeowners or people whose relatives moved here long ago.
The local Ministry of Tourism reports about successful results of several tourist seasons in a row, but if you come to the local Black Sea resorts, the lack of tourist flow from our country can be seen with the naked eye: many hotels are closed or only half-filled, empty complexes with apartments.
As for Bulgarian tourists in Russia, their number has always been insignificant. Now the situation is complicated by the lack of direct air transportation and colossally increased cost of logistics. Nevertheless, Bulgarians continue to travel to our country, which is facilitated by the system of e-visa processing launched in 2023.
- Is there any interest on the part of local residents in cultural events organized by the Russian side in Bulgaria?
- Official Sofia consistently adheres to an anti-Russian course, but in the country, according to our observations, there is a huge gap between the rhetoric of the elites and the sentiments of the overwhelming majority of the population.
The Bulgarian people, due to their enormous historical ties with us, maintain a predominantly friendly or neutral attitude toward Russia. Here they continue to honor the landmark dates of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, as a result of which Bulgaria was liberated from the Ottoman yoke. Except for some Russophobic elements, they respect and cherish the common memorial heritage. They continue to show great interest in the Russian language and culture.
This is confirmed by the demand for the work of the Russian House in Sofia. For example, the premieres of the Russian films "Challenge", "Master and Margarita", "Onegin", for which we managed to obtain permits for non-commercial screening last year, were attended by 300-400 people - a decent audience by local standards. Thanks to the assistance of our Ministry of Culture, in December we managed to organize two concerts of the L.G. Zykina State Academic Russian Folk Ensemble "Russia", which were attended by more than 800 people in total.
This trend is very gratifying - it gives hope that despite the political twists and turns, the very fabric of Russian-Bulgarian relations remains intact. This gives us not only an incentive to work for the sake of our ties, but also hope for their rapid restoration in the future.
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