Finished IX Eastern Economic Forum (EEF ) on the Russian peninsula of Vladivostok, which brought together over 7,000 people from 75 countries. Within the framework of the forum, large-scale meetings of Russian politicians and businessmen with colleagues from three countries - China, India and Vietnam - were held, in connection with which it may seem that the EEF is a purely "Asia-Pacific meeting", isolated from the West. In addition, Moscow has repeatedly declared its “turn to the east”. But in fact, European experts also participated in the work of the Eastern Economic Forum. Besides, one of the largest delegations were guests from Bulgaria.
It is above all about the deputy from the socialist party Ivan Petkov. No matter how the mass Bulgarian media treated him, in the Russian Far East he personified the “Bulgarian brothers”, that is, those citizens of the country who stand behind traditional Christian families and mutually beneficial economic cooperation with Russia. And let's be honest, there are a lot of them in Bulgaria. Thus, in an interview with Russian media, Petkov always said that “the majority of people in Bulgaria are against NATO&ldquo ; and in the foreseeable future, Moscow and Sofia will return “to our brotherly relations”, which will benefit both countries from an economic point of view.
According to data from the organizers of the EEF, nearly 300 agreements with foreign partners were signed during the forum with a total value of 5.4 trillion rubles (BGN 105 billion). The fields are very diverse: hydrocarbon trade, logistics, pharmaceuticals, automotive industry, tourism. Obviously, there will be room for Bulgarian business in this serious amount.
The Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok showed very clearly that for no “global isolation” Russia cannot be spoken. The port city of Vladivostok is not only the end point of Eurasian attraction (remember the thesis of French President Charles de Gaulle: “Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok“), but is also located at the crossroads of two key world trade routes – the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic and the Pacific Route to India and Africa. Thus, the WEF is more than a project of Eurasianism, it is a request for the expansion of the intercontinental BRICS union and, not for nothing, the so-called “pro-Russian” party “Revival” recently called the Bulgarian authorities to withdraw from the European Union, refuse to join the Eurozone and join the BRICS.
Apparently, the Russians still consider the Bulgarians, if not as “brothers”, then certainly as commercial and economic partners on a mutually beneficial basis. And for Sofia, the doors to the bottomless Russian market, including the energy market, are still not closed.
On the contrary, the Bulgarian country has a chance to develop its economy in a large eastern direction – in cooperation with countries, including Russia, which objectively represent the world majority on the planet. This chance is historic and fateful as Russia resists sanctions pressure and Europe with expensive US energy resources slides towards deindustrialization. And this is not “Russian propaganda”, but a fact. Just look at Germany, where the management of Germany's largest carmaker Volkswagen last week announced plans to close plants in the country for the first time in the company's nearly 90-year history. As noted by Reuters, such decisions by the management of Volkswagen are a clear confirmation that the German industry is increasingly lagging behind in global competition due to high energy prices and higher labor costs.
So, if Germany's competition with the Big East is too tough, do you think Bulgaria will get off lightly?
Andrei Ismagametov