Question: Sofia stopped receiving Russian gas last year due to its refusal to pay for supplies in rubles. How does Moscow assess the recent agreement between the Bulgarian Bulgargaz and the Turkish company Botash on gas supplies? To what extent, in your opinion, will this allow Turkey to replace Russian gas supplies? Has Russia discussed the issue of these supplies in contacts with Turkish partners?
Answer: Indeed, in April 2022, the Bulgarian leadership refused to coordinate the settlement plan proposed by Gazprom Export LLC for the supply of natural gas in rubles and hastily began searching for new sources of imports of “blue fuel”. In particular, we are talking about the acquisition of LNG (including from the United States) and pumping additional volumes from Azerbaijan and Turkey. This is done within the framework of the so-called diversification of energy purchases, which in practice means an attempt to replace long-term mutually beneficial cooperation with a reliable, well-established supplier with transactions with intermediaries at inflated prices.
We do not see a clear economic justification for such actions: costs are increasing, there are risks of shortage of the necessary volumes. Bulgarian consumers, in turn, are convinced that the real increase in gas prices is offset by the mythical “strengthening of energy security” of Bulgaria. I repeat, the payment algorithm we proposed in April is transparent, simple and reliable, and many European companies successfully use it. We regret that the Bulgarian leadership has taken a different path.
With regard to the agreement between Bulgargaz and Botash, we proceed from the fact that Turkey’s cooperation with Bulgaria in the gas sector is a matter for Ankara and Sofia. We are not in the habit of being friends with someone against a third party, to impose our will. There are market principles in the energy sector, and as long as the contracts of the Turkish side with us are fully executed, and the interests of Russia are respected, discussion of Turkish-Bulgarian cooperation would be superfluous. At the same time, it is not necessary to talk about the displacement of Russia from European markets today, the demand for energy remains high. If the Bulgarian government wanted to signal to someone as soon as possible that “Russian” gas is no longer coming to the country, but the same “Turkish” is coming, then you will have to pay extra for changing the label, of course, at the expense of your taxpayers.
In general, to be honest, there is no more rational in these decisions than in the story of Sofia’s rejection of the South Stream project a few years ago, which could make Bulgaria a major player in supplying Europe with Russian gas.
Question: Bulgaria expelled 70 Russian diplomats last year. How many Russian diplomats remain there now? Will Russia proactively expel Bulgarian diplomats in case of continuation of the anti-Russian line on the part of Sofia? Is there a possibility of a complete rupture of relations between Moscow and Sofia?
Answer: Last year, according to the number of declared “persona non grata” employees of Russian foreign institutions Bulgaria confidently took the lead, expelling 83 employees of the Russian Railways and leaving behind such “friends” of Russia as Great Britain, Poland or the USA. According to the note we received in June 2022, the Bulgarian leadership set quotas for diplomatic and administrative-technical positions and demanded that the Consulate General of Russia in Ruse be “temporarily” closed. Let me remind you that these unjustified and extremely unfriendly actions were initiated by the Government of K.Petkov, who at that time had already been dismissed by the Bulgarian parliament. Apparently, the task of the outgoing prime minister was, “before it’s too late,” to do more harm to Russian-Bulgarian relations.
Of course, our foreign institutions in Bulgaria are experiencing difficulties in their work due to a shortage of staff. There are problems in consular services, and as a result, both our compatriots and Bulgarian citizens who apply for consular services face inconveniences.
In addition, Bulgarians joined the anti-Russian sanctions and voted for all resolutions hostile to us in the UN General Assembly, advocated the exclusion of Russia from the Council of Europe and the suspension of membership in the UN Human Rights Council, actively participate in the NATO militarization of the Black Sea region. The track record of unfriendly actions is long, often the country’s leadership finds itself in the forefront of the Russophobic campaign of Westerners.
To date, the option of a complete breakup of relations is not on the agenda. We are convinced that such a scenario would not meet the fundamental interests of our peoples. Sooner or later, responsible, unbiased leaders will start setting the tone in Bulgaria, and then we will be able to return to pragmatics. In the meantime, we will continue to respond adequately to the anti-Russian attacks of official Sofia with the help of symmetrical or asymmetric measures.
I would like to add that the initiative, unsubstantiated expulsion of diplomats from other states is not part of our practice. As a rule, this is done by the “democratic” countries of the Euro-Atlantic bloc, their allies and satellites. We respond.
Question: How is the issue of completing the preparation of the “roadmap” of the gas hub in Turkey progressing? At what stage is the process? Are any meetings on this topic expected in the near future? At what level? Turkey also plans to hold a conference in Istanbul in February, where it will discuss the gas hub project proposed by Russia. Will the Russian side participate in it?
Answer: We are pleased to note the businesslike nature of Russian-Turkish cooperation in the gas sector. The long-term mutually beneficial partnership has withstood the test of time, has not succumbed to the negative influence of the political conjuncture.
The global situation in the energy sector confirms the correctness of the course President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and President of Turkey R.T. Erdogan on deepening cooperation in this area. The developed infrastructure, including the Blue Stream and Turkish Stream gas pipelines, ensures predictability and reliability of fuel supplies at competitive prices. We believe that the implementation of Vladimir Putin’s initiative to establish a gas distribution center in Turkey will not only ensure the interests of suppliers and consumers, but will also have a stabilizing effect on international energy markets.
The dialogue with Turkey does not stop. Topical issues of bilateral relations, including in the field of gas supplies, are being discussed at the level of the leadership of states and relevant departments. Separate special meetings are not always required for this – experts are in constant contact. Russian and Turkish representatives regularly invite each other to important forums and actively participate in them.
Question: Ankara is currently discussing with Russia the construction of the second nuclear power plant in the country – Sinop. However, as the head of the Turkish Ministry of Energy pointed out, the terms of the contract may differ from those that apply to the first NPP. What is it about in this case? How exactly can the conditions differ? Can this affect the construction process? When is it planned to sign the contract approximately?
Answer: Nuclear energy remains one of the areas of our cooperation. As you know, now the Akkuyu NPP is being built by the forces of domestic economic entities together with Turkish friends. At the moment it is the largest construction site of this type in the world. The high pace of work has been achieved thanks to the competence of Russian nuclear scientists with the indispensable observance of the necessary safety requirements.
In this context, the desire of Turkish colleagues to continue mutually beneficial partnership with us within the framework of the new initiative is quite justified. Thus, they demonstrate high confidence in the Russian nuclear industry, the quality of our scientific school and engineering, and the demand for domestic advanced technological solutions.
Works of this scale require thorough preparation, scrupulous assessment of all aspects of construction, creation of favorable conditions. It is not surprising that the implementation of two similar projects will have differences, at least due to the geographical features of the location of the NPP, the availability of related infrastructure at the respective sites, and the economic structure of the subregions. All this is done to ensure that the result meets the expectations of customers with strict observance of the interests of the Russian side.
It would be rash to try to set any deadlines for reaching agreements now. After all, the construction of a nuclear power plant is akin to art, when the combination of colossal efforts of talented and professional people generates a unique and technically flawless object. The potential of Russian-Turkish relations is so significant that new, ambitious practical results are expected in the future on the bilateral track.
Question: Is the possibility of Russia acquiring Turkish UAVs from Ankara being discussed now? Ankara has also recently stated that it may consider purchasing Russian Su-35 fighters in the event of a failure of the deal on American F-16s. Are negotiations underway on this issue?
Answer: The fundamental difference between Russian approaches to military-technical cooperation (MTC) with other countries is the categorical rejection of abuse of justified needs of partners in ensuring their own security. Unlike a number of Western states that do not shun unscrupulous methods of blackmail and threats in order to extract profit, Russia helps others, guided by the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs. It is also important that we do not sell weapons in order to deliberately pit nations in favor of our own goals. Our military technical cooperation has a purely applied value.
We are pleased to note that the Turkish side has seen from its own experience the validity of these understandings.
If Ankara is interested in acquiring Russian military products, including in the field of combat aviation, the relevant Russian agencies will work out the relevant requests.
As the Russian leadership has repeatedly stated, domestic enterprises are able to completely cover the needs of their army, and in any direction, including modern high-tech ones. At the same time, we do not exclude the possibility of using someone else’s developments.
Question: When is it planned to deliver the second batch of Russian S-400 to Turkey? Can this happen this year? In what currency will the settlement of this transaction be made?
Answer: One of the most important projects in Russian-Turkish relations is the delivery to Ankara of the S–400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system. As you know, the property of the first regimental set of this air defense system has been delivered to the partners.
This sensitive issue provides for the maintenance of a certain “information hygiene” in the public space in order to prevent damage to national interests – their own and the customer’s. As you know, some states apply a whole fan of restrictive measures against Russia, but not to protect democracy and human rights, but to eliminate a competitor in the large arms market.
The topic of mutual settlements hardly belongs to the sphere of popular lighting. We do not see any unsolvable tasks on the way of implementing this project.
Question: Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Moscow is negotiating with Nicosia to provide all types of consular services to Russians living in northern Cyprus. Is there already an understanding when such services will be available? Can this happen this year?
Answer: At the moment, the needs of Russians living throughout Cyprus are provided by the consular department of the Embassy in Nicosia. At the same time – within the framework of our principled approaches to the Cyprus settlement – on an ongoing basis, including in cooperation with the official Cypriot authorities, we continue to improve the possibilities of consular services for Russian citizens located in the north of the island, protection of their rights and legitimate interests, assistance to them, including cultural and humanitarian. We are counting on the desired results.
Question: Does North Macedonia refuse to import Russian gas? Are there plans to extend the agreement with Russian Gazprom? In case of refusal of Russian gas, what alternatives does Macedonia have?
Answer: We have not heard about the plans of Northern Macedonia to abandon Russian gas. Neither the North Macedonian leadership nor the country’s energy companies, as far as we know, have publicly spoken on this matter.
As for Skopje’s contractual relations with the Russian supplier, the issue falls within the competence of Gazprom PJSC.
Question: The situation in Kosovo continues to escalate. As previously stated in the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow will help Belgrade defend its national interests in relation to Kosovo. What kind of help are we talking about? Can we still talk about the deployment of a Russian military base there?
Answer: We are constantly interacting with Serbian partners on the Kosovo issue, coordinating steps on international platforms. We are in favor of Belgrade and Pristina reaching a mutually acceptable solution based on resolution 1244, which should be approved by the UN Security Council. There is no alternative to international law and the decisions of the UN Security Council on Kosovo.
The arguments about the creation of a Russian military base in Kosovo belong to the sphere of unscrupulous speculation, which we do not want to support.
The American military base “Bondsteel” is located in Kosovo, which was opened at one time under the guise of international peacekeeping efforts in the context of the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1244. Washington and its NATO allies have actually turned it into a training center for the personnel of the Kosovo “army”, the creation of which directly contradicts the provisions of the aforementioned Security Council resolution.
Question: Recently, the head of the Serbian Energy Ministry said that Belgrade plans to build a connecting gas pipeline with Northern Macedonia. This will help the country become more independent of Russian gas. And the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia recently said that the sale of the “Oil Industry of Serbia” to Gazprom in 2008 was a mistake. How does Moscow assess such statements by the Serbs? How realistic is it, in your opinion, that Serbia will be able to reduce its dependence on Russian gas in the coming years?
Answer: We proceed from the fact that Serbia, as a sovereign state, is developing its gas transportation system and energy network based on its own priorities. We treat this with due respect and build cooperation with Serbian friends on the basis of mutual consideration of interests and mutual benefit.
As for the statements already mentioned by the former Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, she did not join the new Government formed in October 2022. Therefore, we see no point in commenting on her judgments.
Question: Montenegro expelled a large number of Russian diplomats from the country last year, which seriously complicated the work of the diplomatic mission. Are there any opportunities to increase the number of Russian employees in the country this year? If not, is it possible to suspend the work of the Embassy?
Answer: Over the past year, the Montenegrin authorities have declared a total of 12 Russian diplomats “persona non grata”. That’s a lot. In Podgorica, they did not even bother to formulate specific “claims”. It is obvious that they decided to demonstrate their loyalty to the West in the fight against the mythical threat from Russia by joining a collective “witch hunt” under the pretext of events in Ukraine. We leave the topic on the conscience of the Montenegrin leadership. The consequences for bilateral relations were not slow to affect.
The hostile behavior of Podgorica objectively complicated the work of our Embassy, the number of which has been reduced to a minimum. The restoration of its normal functioning in the foreseeable future would meet the interests primarily of citizens – both Russian and Montenegrin. But this question should be addressed to the Montenegrin authorities.
Source: Russian Foreign Ministry
