Socialist Leader Ninova: Secured LNG will not enter Bulgaria

The liquefied natural gas (LNG) that was secured will not enter Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Socialist Party  leader and former Economy and Industry Minister Korneliya Ninova warned in an interview for NOVA that she gave early Sunday.

"We read that the LNG is sold at a fair price, lower than the European price, that we buy it directly from the source, with no intermediaries. It is a pity that we will not be able to use it. On the other hand, the caretaker government has not given any signals for starting negotiations with Gazprom to seek restoring supplies from there, which are cheaper," said Ninova.

The solution proposed by the Socialists is to freeze the gas prices by imposing a moratorium. According to Ninova, such a move and restoring the dialogue with Gazprom would be beneficial to the Bulgarian economy.

"Over the last few days, I have been getting calls from employer organizations and small businesses, who are shocked by the crisis taskforce's establishment on August 3 and its failure to act since then," Ninova said. In her words, this institution set up by the caretaker government is yet to prove that it is functioning.

The BSP leader added that she was able to convince then Finance Minister Assen Vassilev and Prime Minister Kiril Petkov that small and medium-sized enterprises would gain from compensations and a strong social programme.

Ninova quoted President Rumen Radev as saying, "Korneliya Ninova should explain to the people on the left why weapons [made in Bulgaria] are getting exported to Poland". She proceeded to say, "Now I am asking the President to explain to the people on the left where his government exported weapons worth EUR 1 billion. Does it go from Poland to Ukraine? What is the difference?".

Ninova stated that her party and she in particular were the subject of attacks aiming to have the BSP fail at the elections, so that the old party leadership gets replaced by new, more obedient one.