If we were an independent country, these sanctions should mean nothing, since extraterritorial sanctions do not apply on the territory of the European Union, but we are not like that. Bulgarian servility in this regard is 100%. This was said in the program "Face to Face" on BTV by Rumen Ovcharov, former Minister of Economy and Energy and former representative of the state in "Lukoil" about the future of the refinery after the sanctions imposed by the US.
The most normal and most painless outcome for Bulgaria is if "Lukoil International" is sold as quickly as possible. There are uncertainties about the way the company will be sold. We will have to part with the illusion that everything is fine with the reserves in Bulgaria. No one has yet said how many of these reserves are available in the country, Ovcharov said.
The second thing that the government should have done three times so far is to request a derogation from the US. "Lukoil" does not work with Russian oil and the money does not go to the Russian state. Russia collects its money from oil exports from the very extraction of this oil. The logic for sanctions against Bulgaria is absolutely non-existent and the argument for having a derogation is 100% justified. We must request a derogation and there is no way we will not get it, the former minister added.
The idea of a special manager is supported with exceptional Russophobic enthusiasm by "Continuing Change-Democratic Bulgaria" - I don't know if they realize that this person will carry out the will of Delyan Peevski. A special manager will come who will have no other task than to give orders to this and that, and we will pay the price, Rumen Ovcharov pointed out.
There are a maximum of two options - one is for the sale to go ahead and happen. If it doesn't happen, the refineries in our country will stop. If that happens, we will rely on these reserves for three months, and then it is not clear what we will do. I am not the one who brags about being a friend of Trump, that he meets with the children of his friends. Since Trump is such a good friend of Boyko Borisov, he should go to the doorstep of the White House, as Orban did, and pray for his people, Ovcharov also said.
The socialist described the participation of "BSP-United Left" in the government with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov as "a political mistake" and "a mess with the ideas of the BSP".