Bulgaria strictly complies with EU sanctions on Russia: Economy minister

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Bulgaria strictly complies with EU sanctions on Russia and is closely monitoring any attempts to circumvent them, said the country’s economy minister on Thursday.

There are sanctions enforcement mechanisms in Bulgaria, which were swiftly activated in response to suspicions or attempts to evade sanctions, Minister of Economy and Industry Nikola Stoyanov responded to a question in the parliament or National Assembly, according to the state-run BTA news agency.

“Bulgaria, as before, will support the sanctions, including the 11th package of the EU,” he assured.

Responding to another lawmaker's question about the growing volume of bilateral trade with Russia, Stoyanov argued that the trend could be related to the gradual recovery of economies in the post-pandemic period.

“There are sectors that have not been placed under sanctions, and the derogations that our country has achieved give a reflection,” he said.

However, he explained that some companies, which are closely linked in their activities to importing raw materials from Russia or exporting, have been severely affected by the sanctions.

In late April, Bulgarian lawmaker Delyan Dobrev claimed that Sofia was violating EU sanctions on Moscow, with a bank in Bulgaria transferring money to Russian oligarchs in Europe.

In a related development, the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office said the State Agency for National Security (SANS) has been asked to conduct an investigation and to approach Dobrev, who made the claim.