I did not sign the contract with “Botash“. Even if I did sign, they won't accept it on the other side, because they know that the contract is only valid with the signature of the representative of "Bulgargaz". are binding documents. This was announced by former Minister of Energy Rosen Hristov on bTV, quoted by novini.bg
In his words, all ministers saw and supported the contract as soon as it passed the Council of Ministers. If something is not agreed somewhere, it is instantly visible.
„I hear that half a million euros are lost a day, then a million a day. These are complete lies. The contract provides for the reservation of capacity, which is paid for without commenting on figures, for a certain amount for 13 years. How will we lose money on this contract? This means that not a single tanker is unloaded, that we do not resell the capacity to another, and that we do nothing for 13 years to lose this amount. This contract is used and it is worth it. The government can lose from any contract if it is not used properly. If we don't need it, the question is why we don't need it – when it was signed, it was considered that we needed”, he clarified.
Hristov is adamant that there is not and should not be a clause preventing Russian gas from passing through: „This means imputing to “Botash” to manage “Bulgargaz“ and decide what gas to pass. With the contract with “Botash” we have the right to use all terminals in Turkey, our only responsibility is to bring the ship to Turkey. This gives full flexibility.“
„If we refuse, we have to pay a penalty, without commenting on the exact amount,”, he also emphasized.
“We signed this contract and the contract with Greece in parallel. One of the biggest achievements is precisely achieving diversification of gas supplies – we have more than one source and have taken them both. In the commission, 90% of what was said is a complete lie, the rest is manipulation. If “Botash” did not deliver the gas to us, they incur penalties. The contract is balanced, all interests are protected. “Botash“ cannot replace “Bulgargaz”, because it does not have a license to trade gas in our country and they have no right to interfere in our transactions. The contract can be profitable if we use it, if we sell to Europe”, the former energy minister is categorical.