Bulgaria opposes EU sanctions on Russian businessman Vagit Alekperov
Bulgaria will not support EU sanctions against Russian businessman Vagit Alekperov, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said after a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Friday, arguing that such a move would harm Bulgaria's national interests, CE Report quotes BTA.
"We will not allow the sanctions package to pass in this form. We have a vote and we will use it," Radev told reporters.
He said Alekperov was included on the proposed sanctions list as a co-owner of Lukoil and described him as "the person who invested significant resources and effort so that Bulgaria could have one of the most modern refineries in Europe."
Alekperov founded Lukoil and served as its president from 1993 until 2022, when he stepped down following Western sanctions imposed on him after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to an official 2022 statement by Lukoil, he resigned as president and left the board of directors in April 2022. The company said that as of March 31, 2022, he owned and voted 3.12% of Lukoil shares and was a beneficiary of an additional 5.43% through family trusts or funds, but had no voting rights over those shares.
Radev also pointed to the ongoing arbitration claim filed by Lukoil against Bulgaria, reportedly worth EUR 3 billion.
"We will not allow sanctions to be imposed on him. That would mean shooting ourselves in the foot," he said.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister said that Bulgaria will veto the European Commission’s latest proposal to broaden sanctions against Russia unless Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill is removed from the proposed sanctions list.
After the second day of the European Council, Radev commented on his talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy held on the sidelines of the EU leaders' meeting. According to him, the two discussed the possibility of Bulgaria benefiting from Ukraine's expertise in drone production through technology transfer and joint manufacturing projects that could support the modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces.
Radev described the meeting as productive and said the leaders had also explored opportunities to deepen cooperation in the energy sector. He noted that Bulgaria's geographic position, gas and electricity transmission networks, and access agreements with neighboring countries make it a potential hub for energy diversification and supply security, issues that are of particular interest to Ukraine.
Commenting on the European Commission's announcement earlier on Friday that it had given preliminary approval to Bulgaria's fourth payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, Radev said the decision reflected confidence in his government.
"This is recognition of our energetic work to meet all conditions," he said.
Photo: Wikipedia
