Bulgaria will not hold talks to renew gas deal with Gazprom

Bulgaria will not hold talks with Russian energy giant Gazprom to renew its natural gas purchase deal amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine and will be looking at alternative supplies, Deputy Prime Minister Assen Vassilev said.

The European Union country meets almost all of its gas needs with Russian gas under a 10-year deal with Gazprom, which expires at the end of 2022. "In this situation, there cannot be talks with Gazprom... There are alternatives," Vassilev told. "This is not just Bulgaria, this is a common European strategy."

Vassilev said Bulgaria will be looking to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from terminals in neighbouring Turkey and Greece and increase the amount of Azeri gas it can receive.

Bulgaria, where annual gas consumption is about 3 bcm, has sealed a deal to receive 1 bcm of Azeri gas but can only fully tap the contract after a new gas pipeline with Greece becomes operational later this year.