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Transcript of the start of the talk between Bulgarian, Russian PMs during their meeting in Sopot, Poland
Vladimir Putin: Mr. Prime Minister, we had the chance to talk recently on the phone. I congratulated you in written for your election victory. I am happy with the opportunity I have to meet you in person, to get to know each other, to talk about our cooperation in the field of politics and economy. We have very big joint projects.
I’d like to hear your estimation about the perspectives. We understand that there is a need for revision and getting deeper into the matter. I hope this process would not take much time and we would receive from our Bulgarian counterparts an exact and clear position on all directions from our cooperation.
Boyko Borisov: Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to thank you for your time. There were many media reports, and opinions were published in both Russian and Bulgarian media. We took part in a very hard fight in Bulgaria.
Practically, we were not acquainted in details with the agreements between Russia and Bulgaria in the field of energy projects. In a merely political aspect, our government is a strong supporter of the long-term relations, including in the fields of politics, economy and culture.
In a merely political aspect, I would like to stress that Bulgaria, though it is a member of the EU and NATO, is not burdened in its relations with Russia. On the contrary – the people of our countries, being Orthodox peoples, have strengthened for centuries on end the existing friendly relations between us. We are obliged to maintain the level of these relations in future.
I am very grateful to you that in the course of the phone talk we had you agreed to give us time until November in relation to the fact that we have a brand new government. Besides, we could not receive information about the character of the contracts that were signed between our two countries. Perhaps, this is the reason for the difference in the opinions.
As I learned from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, all this was open, public and known to the Bulgarian society. However, I could assure you once again that the details in the contracts are not known in Bulgaria. That is the reason for the existence of diametrically opposite positions – “for” and “against”.
Our government would continue the policy of turning Bulgaria into an energy centre on the Balkans and in Europe. I am grateful for your reaction and readiness to send Russian experts to Bulgaria. The Ministers from my cabinet are ready for a meeting.
Probably in one-month timeline, we will get acquainted with the situation in detail. I put focus mainly on Belene NPP. I believe there are no problems around South Stream. As far as the Burgas-Alexandoupolis oil pipeline is concerned, there is one single problem here. There will be two local referendums on this issue – I envisage the ecology in the coastal area. The Bulgarian society must be sure that this project is useful to Bulgaria. I can tell you that in my face you will find a partner.
However, we have to get acquainted with the situation in detail. You are aware that we do not have absolute majority at parliament, we lack 5 MPs. Despite the huge difference between us and the other parties, we should simply convince them that all this is to Bulgaria’s benefit.
Vladimir Putin: Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to repeat once again that I understand the need of the new members of the cabinet, the new cabinet, to go deeper into the matter and to get acquainted with all the details.
The truth is that all these documents are open. And if, for some internal political reasons of pre-election character, your specialists had not had the chance to get acquainted with them, we would provide you with all possible materials.
I fully agree with you that we are in special relations with Bulgaria. All projects that we have developed until now were also targeting the improvement of Bulgaria’s position as an energy center in Europe, as an important transit country. We want to change the geopolitical status of your country and to give it the chance to benefit from transit.
If there any reasons whatsoever in force, and certain analyses of your government reach to the conclusion that some of the projects does not respond to the interests of the Bulgarian state, I assure you dear Mr. Prime Minister, that no problems would follow in our inter-governmental relations. We would not realize a project that doesn’t suit Bulgaria. We would go through somewhere else. Russia would solve this problem, but in another way, and we would find other possibilities for cooperation with you. Furthermore, we would want and make this without any problems and insults, going from our mutual interests.
The only thing e ask for is this to be settled as soon as possible.
We have been speaking about the Burgas-Alexandroupolis project for many years, which you recall. In practice it is 280 km long. We have already built an oil pipe system starting from Eastern Siberia to the Chinese border. This is 1,500 km. We are also to complete soon the pipe by the Pacific Ocean shore – this is another 2,000 km. And we started hardly 2 years ago. And we have been discussing Burgas-Alexandroupolis for seven years already. Just tell us “no” and we would close the issue. The same applies to the rest of the projects too.
Vladimir Putin: Mr. Prime Minister, we had the chance to talk recently on the phone. I congratulated you in written for your election victory. I am happy with the opportunity I have to meet you in person, to get to know each other, to talk about our cooperation in the field of politics and economy. We have very big joint projects.
I’d like to hear your estimation about the perspectives. We understand that there is a need for revision and getting deeper into the matter. I hope this process would not take much time and we would receive from our Bulgarian counterparts an exact and clear position on all directions from our cooperation.
Boyko Borisov: Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to thank you for your time. There were many media reports, and opinions were published in both Russian and Bulgarian media. We took part in a very hard fight in Bulgaria.
Practically, we were not acquainted in details with the agreements between Russia and Bulgaria in the field of energy projects. In a merely political aspect, our government is a strong supporter of the long-term relations, including in the fields of politics, economy and culture.
In a merely political aspect, I would like to stress that Bulgaria, though it is a member of the EU and NATO, is not burdened in its relations with Russia. On the contrary – the people of our countries, being Orthodox peoples, have strengthened for centuries on end the existing friendly relations between us. We are obliged to maintain the level of these relations in future.
I am very grateful to you that in the course of the phone talk we had you agreed to give us time until November in relation to the fact that we have a brand new government. Besides, we could not receive information about the character of the contracts that were signed between our two countries. Perhaps, this is the reason for the difference in the opinions.
As I learned from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, all this was open, public and known to the Bulgarian society. However, I could assure you once again that the details in the contracts are not known in Bulgaria. That is the reason for the existence of diametrically opposite positions – “for” and “against”.
Our government would continue the policy of turning Bulgaria into an energy centre on the Balkans and in Europe. I am grateful for your reaction and readiness to send Russian experts to Bulgaria. The Ministers from my cabinet are ready for a meeting.
Probably in one-month timeline, we will get acquainted with the situation in detail. I put focus mainly on Belene NPP. I believe there are no problems around South Stream. As far as the Burgas-Alexandoupolis oil pipeline is concerned, there is one single problem here. There will be two local referendums on this issue – I envisage the ecology in the coastal area. The Bulgarian society must be sure that this project is useful to Bulgaria. I can tell you that in my face you will find a partner.
However, we have to get acquainted with the situation in detail. You are aware that we do not have absolute majority at parliament, we lack 5 MPs. Despite the huge difference between us and the other parties, we should simply convince them that all this is to Bulgaria’s benefit.
Vladimir Putin: Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to repeat once again that I understand the need of the new members of the cabinet, the new cabinet, to go deeper into the matter and to get acquainted with all the details.
The truth is that all these documents are open. And if, for some internal political reasons of pre-election character, your specialists had not had the chance to get acquainted with them, we would provide you with all possible materials.
I fully agree with you that we are in special relations with Bulgaria. All projects that we have developed until now were also targeting the improvement of Bulgaria’s position as an energy center in Europe, as an important transit country. We want to change the geopolitical status of your country and to give it the chance to benefit from transit.
If there any reasons whatsoever in force, and certain analyses of your government reach to the conclusion that some of the projects does not respond to the interests of the Bulgarian state, I assure you dear Mr. Prime Minister, that no problems would follow in our inter-governmental relations. We would not realize a project that doesn’t suit Bulgaria. We would go through somewhere else. Russia would solve this problem, but in another way, and we would find other possibilities for cooperation with you. Furthermore, we would want and make this without any problems and insults, going from our mutual interests.
The only thing e ask for is this to be settled as soon as possible.
We have been speaking about the Burgas-Alexandroupolis project for many years, which you recall. In practice it is 280 km long. We have already built an oil pipe system starting from Eastern Siberia to the Chinese border. This is 1,500 km. We are also to complete soon the pipe by the Pacific Ocean shore – this is another 2,000 km. And we started hardly 2 years ago. And we have been discussing Burgas-Alexandroupolis for seven years already. Just tell us “no” and we would close the issue. The same applies to the rest of the projects too.
Putin - We talked ... now make it happen.
Borisov - suck suck slurp.
Putin - yeah ok, just say no and we will forget you faster than we made you.
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