The actions of the Bulgarian authorities towards "Lukoil" are "hasty and legally dubious". This was stated by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova in an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS.
She commented that the situation with the refinery in Burgas is "very serious and worrying" and accused Bulgaria of "taking a very risky course".
In addition to the topic of "Lukoil", Mitrofanova also drew attention to the problem of paying Russian pensions to thousands of pensioners in Bulgaria, which has not yet been resolved.
According to the ambassador, the law adopted by Bulgaria on a special manager of the refinery resembles a "law on alienation of property".
She reminded that from the moment of the appointment of such a manager, the current management of "Lukoil Neftokhim" loses its right to make management decisions.
"Moreover, not only the management of the refinery will be deprived of management rights, but also the shareholders and owners of the company. "All decisions of the manager, including those regarding the possible sale of the refinery, are not subject to administrative or judicial control," Mitrofanova stressed.
She added that "Lukoil" is a private company that works in the interests of its shareholders, not the Russian government.
Eleonora Mitrofanova reported that 6,000 Russian pensioners in Bulgaria have not received their pensions since January this year.
"This is absolutely unacceptable, a de facto disregard for human rights. We are trying to resolve the problem as soon as possible," she said.
The problems arose due to sanctions imposed on Russian banks with which the pension fund worked. According to Mitrofanova, a new bank has already been found that can make the payments.
"Now the Bulgarian Pension Fund must receive permission from the BNB to work with it. Ultimately, the Bulgarian Pension Fund must send a letter to our Pension Fund that it is ready to receive these funds... I believe that there is a real chance that the remaining obstacles will be overcome as soon as possible," the ambassador explained.