"The Trojan horse phrase makes no sense, I can even say this is a nihilistic statement," President Georgi Parvanov told the hundreds of journalists gathered at the National Palace of Culture. Photo by Nadya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency)
Bulgaria promoted successfully its national interests in the deals with Russia, which will lure investors, open jobs and enhance security, the president said on Sunday as he reported on the first year since his re-election.
Bulgaria and Russia signed eight agreements during President Putin's visit to Bulgaria last week.
The three most important ones concerned the construction of the Belene nuclear power plant, the Burgas - Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, and the Bulgarian section of the South Stream transit gas pipeline.
Putin's two-day visit in Sofia, which ended Friday, stirred controversy with critics saying Bulgaria becomes the Trojan horse of Russia's energy policy in the European Union.
"The Trojan horse phrase makes no sense, I can even say this is a nihilistic statement," President Georgi Parvanov told the hundreds of journalists gathered at the National Palace of Culture. "Europe is no Troja. Europe is not under a siege, it is open."
According to the president the involvement of European companies and the support of the governments of Greece, Italy and France makes the projects concerned "truly European".
"What makes the South Stream project less European than the North Stream project?" he added, referring to the pipeline between Russia and Germany.
Bulgaria's participation in the South Stream pipeline has been controversial as the Russian project is seen as competitive to the EU-sponsored Nabucco gas pipeline. While Nabucco aims to diversify EU's energy market with gas from Iran and Azerbaijan, the South Stream allegedly helps tighten Russia's monopoly grip over it.
"Bulgaria is still committed to the EU's Nabucco gas pipeline project despite signing a deal with Russia on its South Stream pipeline," the president said.
According to him Bulgaria will play an active role in the Nabucco project.
"It will be in everybody's interest to protect the gas pipelines... The presence of US military bases and Russian pipelines on Bulgarian territory are additional guarantees," he argued, referring to the agreement with Washington on the joint use of four air bases in Bulgaria.
President Parvanov stressed that Bulgaria's nuclear power plant Kozloduy used to meet 40% of the energy deficit in the region, while now the country has been forced to impose a ban on electricity exports.
"We are facing the threat of turning into a disco club. What more should happen before we become aware that we need fast and decisive steps in implementing energy projects?," he rhetorically asked.
President Parvanov underlined that the contracts signed with Russia will translate into EUR 5.5 B of direct foreign investments in the country, while the construction of two nuclear reactors at Bulgaria's Belene power plant on the Danube means 2000 MW more of power producing facilities.
Rightist leaders former PM Ivan Kostov and Sofia mayor Boyko Borisov have demanded that the actual texts of the deals with Russia are disclosed.
None of the agreements has been made available to the public yet.
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