Ambassador Poriazov to ANA-MPA: Greece and Bulgaria committed to stability

The ambassador added that Greek-Bulgarian relations could potentially serve as a model of good neighborly relations, while he also noted that there are several opportunities still to further expand relations between the two peoples and the two economies. Both governments are interested in pursuing these relations to the utmost for the benefit of their peoples, Poriazov said, while adding that the visit to Sofia by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to meet the new PM Kiril Petkov in December 2021 provided the impetus to boost bilateral relations even further.

Migration issue

The Bulgarian ambassador underlined the need for the protection of external EU borders, noting that both EU members share a common stance as front-line migration countries. He also noted both countries' commitment to expanding EU membership to the West Balkans, and criticized Turkey's use of the migration issue to pressure the EU and to question Greece's sovereignty, the latter of which he described as "completely unacceptable." At the same time, Poriazov said that his country's good relations with Turkey provided another reason to expect Turkey to keep the principles of good neighborhood relations and International Law rules. He particularly welcomed political talks between Greece and Turkey and expressed the hope that a solution within International Law is found over the differences they have.

Ambassador Poriazov also underlined the need for Russia to "immediately end the attack and withdraw all its military forces and equipment from Ukrainian territory," otherwise the political talks between NATO and Russia will be unfeasible. In an unrelated question, however, he expressed the belief that diplomacy "will return on the scene urgently, as soon as this foolish military attack, condemned in every respect, is ended the soonest possible."

On another question, he responded that Bulgaria supports the creation of a European defense force, as a means of building more independent abilities and dynamic for the EU to act independently in certain sectors.

Natural gas supply

In terms of his country's dependence on Russian natural gas, Ambassador Poriazov expressed his concern over Gazprom's intentions to honor the long-term agreements. The attack on Ukraine "raises questions in terms of Russia's future role as a basic source of natural gas for Europe," he noted, which has led Bulgaria to look into alternative sources. These include the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal station at Revythoussa, off Piraeus, he noted, while the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) pipeline and the Bulgarian participation in the LNG terminal station in Alexandroupolis are also part of this effort.

The Bulgarian ambassador also welcomed the collaboration of ANA-MPA with Bulgaria's corresponding BTA, and said that the agreement (signed by the national news agencies in December 2021), includes full access to each other's news stories and an exchange of an article a day between them.