"The reform-minded former Prime Minister of the Balkan country Nikolay Denkov warns of the danger of “other countries” to try to control the governments in Bulgaria given the important role it will soon play in the transit of gas to the European Union, wrote the Spanish journalist Mark Marginedas in EL PERIÓDICO, the press center of "We continue the change"
For nine months, the pro-European coalition Continue the Change has led a difficult coalition government in Bulgaria, supported by two other parties whose leaders are linked to corruption. In an interview with EL PERIÓDICO, the former prime minister justified the sharing of executive power, talked about the reforms within his mandate and warned of the growing interest of “others“ forces, i.e. of Russia, to control the decision-making in Sofia from behind the scenes, given the country's role as a transit point for gas to the EU.
Here is the interview:
Why did the government collapse?
The formation of the government was a big effort and it was based on our management program, which includes reform of the judiciary, reform of the energy sector (dominated by a Russian company) and of the security services. We developed an 18-month program, the first half of which was to be devoted to changes in the legislation, in the Constitution, in the anti-corruption law. In the second stage, which was to begin now, these laws were to be put into effect. For example, how to transparently choose the key people in the anti-corruption commission. Or whatever the procedure is for electing members of the Supreme Judicial Council—processes that have a big impact because they have five- or seven-year terms. Here the other two parties supporting the government did not want these changes to happen and wanted to continue their old habit of distributing the posts between the parties supporting the government.
In liberal circles in Bulgaria, there are people who say that it would have been better to stay in opposition?
In two and a half years, we had a total of five elections. If we were in opposition, we would continue with caretaker governments, without parliamentary control. When you have such executive bodies, they are tempted to start making important decisions. A clear example of this is the caretaker government's contract with the Turkish gas company BOTAS (under investigation by the EU and suspected of favoring Russia and Turkey, b.r.). It contains very favorable conditions for the Turkish side and many obligations for the Bulgarian side, with a 13-year irrevocable period that obliges us to pay 150 million euros per year, even if we do not use gas. So there were reasons to form a government.
What will happen after the upcoming elections?
One of the things we learned is that the main GERB party with leader Boyko Borisov was largely controlled by another person - Delyan Peevski. And regardless of the fact that GERB was created as a pro-European party, the fact is that Peevski is included in the “Magnitsky” and has been sanctioned by the US and the UK as a person involved in corruption. Peevski should be excluded from any negotiations. Whether we will have the strength to do it depends on the voice of the Bulgarians.
Russia controls the energy market in Bulgaria - have you managed to limit its influence?
Yes, we have taken some steps, including banning the import of Russian oil to the “Lukoil” in Burgas. And if someone is cheating (by importing Russian crude), we will have to stop that, although it won't be easy. Also, when we entered the government, we helped to remove the dependence of Bulgarian nuclear power plants on Russian nuclear fuel. Another example: we tried to impose a tax on Russian gas, but there was a lot of resistance (from Hungary).
Elections are constantly held in Bulgaria and the country is very interesting for Russia. Are you seeing an increase in Russian disinformation campaigns?
Let me add to your question. Bulgaria has always been important to Russia because of its historical ties and its position in the Balkans, where Moscow has interests. But Bulgaria's importance to the Kremlin and the EU is growing significantly, as contracts for the supply of gas to Europe through Ukraine expire at the end of the year. If you look at the map of Europe, the gas, wherever it comes from, should be transported through Bulgaria (through the Bulgarian section of “Turkish Stream”). The geopolitical importance of Bulgaria is growing, and this is particularly important and dangerous. Because the interest of other countries in controlling our government is growing. As for disinformation, it does not only happen in our country. And despite the great experience of the EU and the US in dealing with it, it turned out not to be easy to break it. In addition, we have two openly pro-Russian parties and we cannot accept anti-democratic practices.
Do Russia and its ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova continue to behave provocatively?
(Eleonora) Mitrofanova was very aggressive in 2022 and 2023. However, when a diplomat behaves undiplomatically, he or she ends up causing harm to his or her country. The image of Russia in Bulgaria has deteriorated. And when Bulgarians got over their initial fear, they began to wonder why there was a war in Europe again - a war that was very close to home, involving a country that many consider close to them. And these same citizens then began to understand that the threat is not only to Ukraine, but also to the Baltic States, Moldova and Poland.
It is claimed that support for the EU and for sending weapons to Ukraine is decreasing among Bulgarian citizens.
I'm not sure. In the beginning, it was very difficult to explain to people this conflict with Russia, why we should help Ukraine with military aid. It was months before the public got the whole picture. We see very different messages from the president (Rumen Radev, considered pro-Russian) and the last two (pro-European) governments - the first headed by Kirill Petkov, and the second - from me. The Parliament's decision is very clear: there is an aggressor, international law must be respected and the attacked country must be helped. The Bulgarian president and his entourage repeat the Russian narratives: do not help Ukraine, fight for peace without explaining how to make this peace sustainable. This is not a trend. Rather, people are confused by the two different narratives from the politicians.