Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the Bulgarian leadership agreed to renegotiate the controversial gas contract between BOTAS and Bulgargaz on a "win-win" basis to preserve their bilateral ties and expand their energy partnership.
During his state visit to Sofia, Turkey's top diplomat met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev (the original political architect of the deal) and other senior officials. The official response from Turkey focused on shifting the narrative from a dispute over the contract to a broader, strategic regional energy framework.
Both countries officially agreed that discussions were underway between the Turkish state-owned company BOTAS and Bulgaria’s “Bulgargaz“ to review the terms of their 13-year “take or pay” agreement. Rather than treating this solely as a financial dispute, Fidan and Radev agreed to move towards a broader scheme of energy cooperation. This includes progress on the Green Energy Transmission and Trade Project (connecting Turkey, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan and Georgia) and the construction of new interconnectors.
Turkey agreed to support increased transport and infrastructure flows through Bulgaria, in particular discussing a second railway crossing and expanding the border capacity of the Kapikule crossing. The reaction from Ankara and the Turkish state apparatus was highly calculated, with the aim of preserving Turkey’s commercial influence while preserving its diplomatic position as a reliable European energy hub.
Minister Fidan publicly stressed that Turkey was monitoring the situation closely but safely. Turkish state media such as TRT World and Anadolu Agency presented the renegotiation of the contract not as a concession, but as a path towards a more stable, “360-degree“ geopolitical and energy alignment.
Behind the diplomatic pleasantries, Turkey’s main commercial objective is to protect its financial interests. Bulgargaz currently owes BOTAS approximately €153 million in arrears and faces over €1.5 billion in damages if it abandons the contract. The Turkish response indicates a willingness to change capacity or terms, but only if Bulgaria offers equivalent concessions – such as a guaranteed transit corridor for Turkish gas aimed at the wider EU market.
The Turkish state’s official commentary strongly links a smooth resolution of the BOTAS case to political stability in the Balkans. Ankara has said it views Bulgaria’s current government as a vital gateway to Western markets, making a bitter legal battle over gas fees counterproductive to Turkey’s broader European trade ambitions.
The original 2023 agreement required Bulgaria to pay BOTAS approximately 1 million leva (512,000 euros) per day until 2035 to reserve capacity at the LNG terminal, regardless of whether Bulgaria actually imported gas. Since Bulgaria has not used the capacity, it has accumulated a huge debt, prompting the Bulgarian parliament to demand a full renegotiation of the lopsided contract.