Sofia-Moscow Relations 'Not Good', Russia Tells Bulgarian Opposition

Instructions from Brussels and Washington are the reason why the Russian Federation's relations with Bulgaria are not going through the best of times, Russian State Duma Chair Sergey Narishkin has said.

Receiving the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)'s Mihail Mikov on Tuesday, he added that the government in Bulgaria sometimes "followed too blindly" directions coming from the EU and the US which, in his words, "[sometimes] contravene the national interest of the country," daily Sega quotes him as saying.

The Bulgarian opposition leader, who has been at the helm of the BSP since last July, was previously Parliament Speaker until the 42nd legislation dissolved itself in August.

A visit of Narishkin to Sofia had been planned for that time, but was called off after the latter fell in the list of sanctions against Russian officials imposed over the Ukraine crisis.

Narishkin told Mikov his visit to Russia, which began Monday, gives a "positive contribution" to Russian-Bulgarian dialogue, explaining that Moscow appreciates political contacts at different levels.

Mikov also pointed out that the meeting was "a good signal for Russian-Bulgarian relations."

"My colleagues and I believe relations of the new Parliament [with Russia] are very important, especially in such a moment, to find out a way out of the situation," he explained.

Tensions between Russia and Bulgaria have mounted since Russian President Vladimir Putin ditched the South Stream gas pipeline project in December of last year, citing the EU-backed reluctance of Sofia to unfreeze construction by issuing permits.

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