Russia Pressures New Bulgaria Govt through Deals with Turkey

Energy | August 7, 2009, Friday // 19:03|  views

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) meeting his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) in Ankara, Turkey, 06 August 2009.

Russia may be able to influence the position of Bulgaria on large-scale international energy projects thanks to the energy deals with Turkey agreed Thursday during Putin's Ankara visit.

This is the opinion of Russian expert Dmitry Shiryaev from the Finexpertiza consulting company, as quoted by the Vedomsti newspaper.

Shiryaev points out to Thursday's three-way meeting of Russian PM Putin, Italian PM Berlusconi, and Turkish PM Erdogan, during which Turkey agreed to the passage of the South Stream gas transit pipeline through its territorial waters in exchange for Russian support for the Samsum-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

Shiryaev points out that the Samsun-Ceyhan pipe was an alternative to the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline passing through Bulgaria and Greece, and that the very fact that Russia and Turkey were holding negotiations could influence Bulgaria's position.

"With the support of Turkey Russia can solve the problems that have occurred in its relations with Bulgaria," is also the opinion of another Russian expert, Ajar Kurtov from the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, quoted by Vedomosti.

Since it assumed office in late July, the new Bulgarian government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has made it clear it was going to reconsider Bulgaria's participation in three large-scale energy projects - South Stream, Burgas-Alexandroupolis, and the Belene NPP - practically freezing them until they were audited. The deals for the three projects were sealed by the Bulgarian Socialist President Parvanov and former Socialist Prime Minister Stanishev during Vladimir Putin's visit to Sofia in January 2008.

 

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Tags: Russia, turkey, Samsun-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline, Burgas Alexandroupolis Oil Pipeline, South stream, Vladimir Putin, Boyko Borisov

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