Balgarianovinite.com Following talks between Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Bulgaria’s state-owned gas supplier Bulgargaz and Turkiye’s BOTAS signed a protocol suspending their gas supply agreement for 15 months. During this period, Bulgaria will pay only for the transmission capacity it actually uses under improved commercial terms, the Bulgarian government’s press service said.
The two sides also agreed that Bulgaria and Turkiye share a common interest in maximizing the use of the natural gas transmission infrastructure. They will therefore work toward renegotiating the contract between Bulgargaz and BOTAS in line with current market conditions, according to the statement.
During their meeting, Radev and Erdogan identified connectivity as a key priority in bilateral relations. The talks took place ahead of the NATO Summit, which is being hosted in the Turkish capital.
The two leaders underscored the importance of the partnership between the countries for ensuring regional stability and strengthening secure supply chains amid multiple global crises.
They also noted the positive trend in bilateral trade, which has reached approximately EUR 9 billion, and discussed new projects of mutual interest. Radev highlighted Bulgaria’s ambition to attract more high value-added investment from Turkiye, while Erdogan called on the European Union to implement the EU–Turkiye Customs Union agreement more effectively, saying this would benefit both sides.
Radev also expressed his appreciation for the strengthened border controls on the Turkish side of the two countries’ shared border.
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister is in Ankara to attend the NATO Summit, which is taking place in the Turkish capital on July 7-8. Upon his arrival, he was welcomed at the airport by Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat.
Backgrounder
On January 3, 2023, the Bulgarian state-owed natural gas supplier Bulgargaz and Turkish energy company BOTAS signed an interconnection agreement, under which the Bulgarian side booked capacity of 106.4GWh/day on the Turkish LNG regasification terminals and agreed to pay for this BGN 1 million (EUR 512,000) daily for a period ending in 2035. At present, Bulgargaz does not import gas under the agreement with BOTAS, and in early May its arrears to the Turkish company approximated BGN 300 million. If the 13-year take-or-pay agreement is rescinded, the Bulgarian company will be liable for close to BGN 3 billion in damages. By a resolution passed on April 19, 2024, the Bulgarian National Assembly assigned then energy minister Vladimir Malinov to take action for re-negotiating the agreement. Bulgargaz, BOTAS Suspend Gas Supply Agreement for 15 Months After Radev – Erdogan Talks 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-06 18:40:48 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law