site.btaGERB Leader Urges Caution Following Sanctions on Lukoil, Warns of Possible Fuel Crisis

GERB leader Boyko Borissov told journalists in Parliament on Thursday that he had spoken with the Finance Minister and the Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) to monitor the situation very carefully and to be cautious, "because this is no joke". "We could end up without fuel at some point. What are the sanctions for the banks processing payments for oil purchases?” he asked, commenting on the information about the US sanctions imposed on Russia’s two largest oil companies – Rosneft and Lukoil. Borissov added that there had been expectations that this would happen.

"You don’t really think that Delyan Dobrev and Stanislav [Anastasov] just happened to think of it one evening while sitting around, do you? I consider myself a well-informed person," Borissov said regarding the recently proposed legislative amendments concerning Lukoil’s ownership in Bulgaria. "We were ahead of events, and we’re already ready for the bill’s second reading," the GERB leader noted, adding that all options had been foreseen.

Borissov expressed his belief that after the sanctions are imposed, there is still time to react, which could allow for their removal. "That’s the game the big players are playing right now," he said.

In response to a question about the State Agency for National Security (SANS) investigating a potential sale of Lukoil’s assets in Bulgaria, Borissov said that besides Bulgaria’s own agency, the process would also be monitored by other services. "At least four headquarters," he clarified. "It’s no coincidence that SANS is the most respected agency in the US among our partners," the GERB leader added.

Borissov rejected comments suggesting that SANS acting head Denyo Denev is close to Delyan Peevski. "It was I who appointed him," he said in response to a question about the possibility of Denyo Denev becoming head of SANS while the agency investigates a possible sale of Lukoil.