Bulgaria must stop distancing itself from any initiative that mentions Ukraine, said the MP from "Continuing the Change" Radoslav Ribarski in the program "Denyat ON AIR". According to him, the country must seek common solutions with neighboring countries, NATO and the European Union to guarantee the security of ships in the Black Sea.
“Our position isolates us”, said Ribarski, pointing to the Ukrainian experience in drone neutralization systems. He stated that Romania and Turkey will also reach the point of needing joint actions to protect shipping.
Ribarski warned that attacks on merchant ships are already affecting exports through higher insurance premiums. According to him, grain producers are not clear about when they will be able to export their products, which creates a risk for the sector.
The MP stated that the government is not planning sufficient measures for fuel. He pointed out that after two sunk and two attacked ships, their position has changed, and inclusion in a NATO program would cost 220 thousand euros.
Ribarski recalled that the special manager of “Lukoil“ must submit a monthly report to the National Assembly. At the same time, from “Lukoil Neftochim Burgas“ It was stated that Bulgaria would not be left without diesel, despite the increased transport costs and insurance for tankers.
Ribarski stated that “We continue the change“ does not expect it to become clear soon where the attacks on the ships are coming from. According to him, the least action would have been to summon the Russian ambassador, Eleonora Mitrofanova.
He cited a conversation between himself and Prime Minister Rumen Radev, according to whom the confidence that there would be no new attacks came from conversations with Mitrofanova and Kirill Budanov. Ribarski insisted that the government clearly identify Russia as the aggressor, but the origin of the attacks remains unconfirmed.
During a hearing in parliament, Rumen Radev stated that at the moment there is no definitive evidence who the perpetrator is. The Prime Minister also indicated that the Burgas refinery is provided with crude oil until mid-December, with 140 thousand tons in storage, and another 420 thousand tons for unloading from three tankers.
Ribarski also warned of expected additional pressure on natural gas prices. According to him, this could affect electricity and heating during the winter months, and the current compensations do not provide sufficient security.
As an opportunity to limit the risk, the MP pointed to access to natural gas from Azerbaijan, which, according to him, is at the lowest price.