Lukoil Neftochim Burgas AD announced on Thursday that it intends to go to court to protect its business reputation.
"The unsubstantiated accusations by representatives of some political parties and parliamentary groups could have a negative impact on the brand image and reputation of our company, which most of its employees, customers and suppliers continue to regard as one of the best employers, partners and suppliers in the European Union," the company’s official position reads, after the Continue the Change co-leader Kiril Petkov announced on the sidelines of the Parliament Wednesday that a proposal "to take back control of the port of Rosenets" will be submitted.
The company said that all publicly made accusations of smuggling and other violations on the territory of the port terminal Rosenets do not correspond to reality.
"Lukoil Neftochim Burgas AD has always fully fulfilled its obligations under the concession contract concluded with the Republic of Bulgaria in 2011 for a period of 35 years and sees no grounds for its termination. The movement of energy products, their storage and processing are subject to strict regulation under national, European and international law. The control exercised by the state is daily - from the arrival of the tanker with raw material to its departure loaded with petroleum products," the company's official statement says.
"The state authorities regularly carry out controls and inspections at the port terminal Rosenets. No violations or deviations from the terms of the concession or regulatory requirements have been found, which is confirmed by the relevant protocols," the company further wrote.
The company also rejected any accusations of political involvement and specified that it is a division of the trading company Litasco SA, registered in Geneva, Switzerland. Litasco itself is part of LUKOIL INTERNATIONAL GmbH, which is based in the Austrian capital Vienna.
The cumulative investments of the LUKOIL Group over the last 20 years in Bulgaria amounted to more than USD 4.1 billion and in the EU countries as a whole - to about USD 14 billion. The Group's enterprises in the Bulgaria are employers of more than 3,500 employees and provide jobs for more than 5,000 employees of subcontractors, according to the position of Lukoil Neftochim Burgas AD.
Another reason for the company's reaction are the actions of the parliamentary Committee on Economic Policy and Innovation, which adopted at first reading a draft on amendments to the Control of the Implementation of the Restrictive Measures in View of Russia’s Actions Destabilizing the Situation in Ukraine Act. The bill was submitted to the committee on Wednesday.
/RY/
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