Parvanov will try to consolidate different political formations once his term is over. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria's outgoing President Georgi Parvanov has stated he would dedicate his future political career to "consolidating different political parties".
In an interview for the TV7 private channel on Tuesday, Parvanov did not directly answer to whether he will try to regain the leadership of the left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) once his second and last term in office is over.
"I can be useful in many ways, I hope that this role of mine will be appreciated," Parvanov said upon asked whether he would compete with current BSP chair Sergey Stanishev for leading the party.
In November 2011, Parvanov announced that he will return to BSP after the end of his term on January 22.
The Bulgarian President further refused to admit that the so-called "Grand Slam" (three major Bulgarian-Russian energy projects agreed in January 2008 between him and then Russian President Vladimir Putin) has failed to materialize.
The South Stream gas pipeline alone is a major project, Parvanov pointed out, reminding that the current centrist-right GERB government has prioritized it.
The other two projects in Parvanov's Grand Slam were the Belene nuclear power plant and the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline. Bulgaria's government terminated its participation in the oil pipeline at the end of 2011, while Belene's future remains unclear.