There is still no clear evidence of where the recent attacks in the Black Sea come from and one should not make hasty conclusions about the responsibility of one or another country. This was stated by the MP from the parliamentary group of “Progressive Bulgaria“ and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Ivan Angelov on bTV.
His comment was in response to a question whether Bulgaria will toughen its tone towards Moscow after the recent incidents in the Black Sea.
“There is still no clear evidence of where these attacks come from. We should not rush to conclusions“, said Angelov.According to him, after the two fighter jets were launched, one air target was dropped, and the other headed towards Ukraine. He specified that the information has not yet been confirmed and it cannot be said for sure whose drones were or whether they hit the tanker.
Angelov said that the Bulgarian authorities have shown readiness and determination to react. According to him, in the attack on the last two ships, there was a quick reaction and an adequate response from the Bulgarian side.
He pointed out that logic leads to Russia, but stressed that this is not equivalent to proven responsibility. As an example, Angelov cited the ship “Chelsea“, which, according to him, is entirely Ukrainian property and sails under the Maltese flag. Half of the crew were Ukrainian citizens, and the rest were from Azerbaijan.
“It somehow doesn't make sense for Ukraine to kill its own citizens or sink its ships,“ said the MP.He added that the warring parties deny involvement in the strikes. According to him, the Bulgarian authorities are working closely with their Romanian and Turkish colleagues on a NATO partnership line.
Higher risk makes shipping more expensive
According to Angelov, the increased risk for shipping leads to higher insurance and increases the cost of the transported cargo. This, in his words, may also affect the final prices for consumers.
“We are doing everything in our power to react adequately, and we hope that this war will end as soon as possible“, he said.
In the conversation, Angelov also commented on the availability of fuels. He said that exports do not affect consumption and prices, since the production of “Neftochim“ has loaded the capacities by about 90%, and the available product must be stored.
According to him, there is enough fuel in the state reserve and in the refinery itself. Therefore, according to Angelov, in the coming months there is no reason to worry about the availability.