Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Assen Vassilev: Rumen Radev's action in defence of Gazprom is a disgrace for the presidential institution

Photo: BGNES

President Rumen Radev has referred to the Constitutional Court the decision by Sofia to impose a gas transit fee, but this will not stop the implementation of the law and I am waiting for the first revenues on November 14, said Finance Minister Assen Vassilev. He added that all states using the gas transit network through the country would have to verify whether the fuel was of Russian origin.
The minister accused the head of state of defending Gazprom rather than the national interest. "The national interest is the interest of the Republic of Bulgaria, not the Russian Federation or Gazprom," he stressed at a briefing. 
Assen Vassilev insisted that Rumen Radev's decision was against the policy of Bulgaria and its government and was a disgrace to the presidential institution.
PM Nikolay Denkov
Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov also commented on Rumen Radev's decision to appeal to the Constitutional Court. "The president is in no way protecting Bulgarian interests, and whether he is protecting foreign interests - everyone can think for themselves. Maybe he is protecting the interests of other countries - Russia, Hungary, Serbia, I don't know, but he is not protecting Bulgaria's interests," he said from Brussels. 

The prime minister recalled that all the information about Bulgaria's decision to charge a transit fee for Russian gas had been sent to the European Commission, but no one there had said that it was not legitimate.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Trial of Bulgarians accused for spying for Russia continues in London

The trial of six Bulgarians accused of spying for Russia continues in the United Kingdom. The head of the "spy cell" Orlin Rusev and Biser Dzhambazov pleaded guilty. Three others - Katrin Ivanova, Vanya Gaberova and Tihomir..

published on 11/29/24 3:40 PM

Eighth failure of the parliament to elect speaker

Today's eighth attempt by the Bulgarian MPs to elect a speaker of the National Assembly also proved unsuccessful. At the beginning of the day, there was a ray of hope that this time the people's representatives would reach a..

published on 11/29/24 2:49 PM

A quarter of Bulgarians are willing to maintain friendships with HIV-positive people

Public attitudes towards HIV/AIDS in Bulgaria show that a quarter of Bulgarians are ready to keep friendships with HIV-positive people, BTA reported. Men are slightly more tolerant than women (28% versus 23%). The data are from a..

published on 11/29/24 1:23 PM