Foreign Minister faces questions in Parliament over Bulgaria getting individuals removed from EU sanctions list
Facing questions in Parliament on August 28, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova sought to defend the government’s decision to get certain individuals removed from the European Union’s 21st sanctions package against Russia, with Petrova claiming that the aim was to protect Bulgaria’s national interest.
Largest opposition group GERB-UDF asked what made it necessary to request an exception for Iskander Makhmudov, who is part of the management of the company that supplied locomotives for the Sofia metro underground railway.
GERB-UDF MP Hristo Gadzhev said: “And the question specifically concerns the government’s motives for imposing reservations to remove Iskander Makhmudov from the list”.
“Listening to the prime minister at the time, he said that this was related to the Sofia metro. Metrovagonmash” which, by the way, is not owned by this Russian oligarch, but is only partially owned, has delivered the two oldest cars to the Sofia metro,” Gadzhev said.
According to Petrova “The position of the Republic of Bulgaria on sanctions is formed not by a decision of a single department, but within the framework of the mechanism followed over the years based on the opinion of competent national authorities”.
“Its sole purpose is to protect Bulgarian interests,” Petrovs said.
“With regard to the specific proposal, competent national authorities signaled that the possible introduction of restrictions against Iskander Makhmudov, as well as against the owner of the company Transmashinholding, could affect Bulgarian economic interests in view of the use in Bulgaria of derogations from the European Union sanctions for the Russian company Metrovagonmash,” she said.
Bozhidar Bozhanov, of opposition group Democratic Bulgaria, asked “Has Bulgaria requested, within the framework of the preliminary discussion of the 21st package of sanctions in connection with the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the removal from the package of the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation and a Russian bank, Togliatti Chem Bank, which is part of a group that produces a key element of ammunition production?”
Petrova said: “Indeed, during the negotiations, Bulgaria raised considerations regarding the proposal to impose restrictive measures on Mikhail Vladimirovich Dektyarov – Minister of Sports of Russia and Chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee”.
“The arguments cited by Bulgaria were the absence of a specific contribution of the person to the military actions against Ukraine, as well as the fact that such a measure cannot contribute to stopping the war,” Petrova said.
“Bulgaria also expressed a reserved position regarding the proposal to include Togliattikhimbank in the sanctions lists, as the arguments we cited were that the proposal refers to a regional commercial bank owned by Togliattiazot – one of the largest ammonia producers in the world, and part of the Uralchim group,” she said.
Petrova said that “given the high prices and the unstable situation on the international fertiliser markets at the moment in connection with the conflict in the Middle East, any restriction of opportunities along this line could have a negative effect”.
