Bulgaria "may buy cheap shale gas from Romania"

Bulgaria "may project buy cheap shale gas from Romania", if it is built a thermal power station instead of nuclear power station at Belene, said Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, quoted by Novinite.com site.

"If Romanians are selling cheap shale gas from Chevron, a pipeline will be created and we are wealthy enough to buy from Romania, I do not see why we should stop doing it." said the Bulgarian Prime Minister.

Boiko Borisov made this statement in a joint press conference with the Economy Minister Delian Dobrev.

He talked with Russian officials the Bulgarian authorities' decision to abandon construction of the Belene nuclear station, agreed after a Bulgarian-Russian agreement signed in 2006.

Prime Minister sarcastic comment comes shortly after the Bulgarian civil society protests pressured the executive branch from Sofia to impose a moratorium on the exploitation and extraction of shale gas in Bulgaria, a few months after signing the agreement with Chevron.

Bulgarian Prime Minister also said he is convinced that the Belene nuclear project "was a crime" and quitting this approach "was the best decision."

Recently Bulgaria has faced protests from activists for environment, which states very concerned about groundwater contamination following shale gas exploitation and extraction in northeastern Bulgaria.

Bucharest Government has recently approved oil agreements signed by the Romanian with Chevron, which enables the company to extract unconventional gas in areas near the border with Bulgaria.

Boiko Borisov did not say whether executive from Sofia will initiate actions against Romania on a moratorium about shale gas, given that in Bulgaria there is a moratorium on the use of these gases and the two countries share a major underground tank, also writes Novinite.

The dispute between Romania and Bulgaria concerning the Black Sea area

Bulgarian Prime Minister would like, on the one hand, to buy gas shale from Romania but on the other hand, requires "territorial claims" that Romania would have on an area of continental shelf of the Black Sea after the Romanian foreign minister announced that negotiations should be resumed on completion of the boundary of the continental shelf.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov announced that the parliamentary group of the party he leads will vote "most likely" statement in favor for the ultranationalist party in which are convicted "Romanian territorial claims".

"In the 21st century is an absurdity to talk of territorial claims," Boiko Borisov said in Parliament.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said that the problem finalizing the boundary of the continental shelf will be resolved "in a European way" to 15 April.

Bulgaria has no territorial claims against Romania, which obviously, are looking for a quick solution to a problem older than 20 years, said Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev.

Romania could sue Bulgaria in the Hague Court of Justice to resolve the dispute concerning the Black Sea continental shelf.

Diplomatic sources have explained to Radio Romania that is about 350 square kilometers to go through the Russian pipeline South Stream.

However, the Romanian authorities are committed to continue bilateral negotiations, and if they do not reach a result, Bucharest will appeal to European institutions and ultimately the Court of Hague, as happened with Ukraine.

Until now the Romanian-Bulgarian negotiations committee has met 14 times from 1994 till now.

Translated by Ioana Vioreanu
MTTLC, Bucharest University