Bulgaria's PM Begins 2-Day Iran Visit Hoping to Sell Reactor

Bulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov (C) and Iran's Transport Minister Abbas Akhoundi (L) in Tehran on Sunday, July 10, 2016. Photo by Government Information Service

A Bulgarian delegation led by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is visiting Iran, hoping to find a buyer for a nuclear reactor and equipment produced for an abandoned plant project.

Bulgaria's government said in June it considered the sale of the equipment to a third country jointly with Russia. The reactor and other parts manufactured for Belene Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) are to be received following an arbitration ruling that said Bulgaria was to buy them out for EUR 0.55 B.

Other economic issues are also expected to be discussed, and several documents will be signed to boost bilateral cooperation.

The Bulgarian delegation includes Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov, Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva and Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova.

Business representatives from diverse sectors are also attending. 

During his visit to Tehran, Borisov will hold meetings with Iran’s First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, the government's press service informed on Sunday.

He refused to enter into details about his visit over the weekend. Dnevnik.bg quotes him as saying: "We have many issues [on the agenda], but I am a bit fatalist and I don't want to talk about it in advance... When we return, we will comment on them."

Earlier, Iran's Ambassador to Bulgaria, Abdollah Norouzi, had announced his country was interested in making investments into the Bulgarian energy sector, including oil exports, but did not elaborate. 

 

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