Balgarianovinite.com In response to a question during Friday’s parliamentary control concerning the removal of Iskander Makhmudov from EU’s 21st sanctions package over Russia’s aggressive actions, Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova said that Bulgaria’s position was to protect its national interest.
The question, put by MPs Hristo Gadzhev and Georgi Georgiev of GERB-UDF, was about whose proposal and in defence of what state interest Bulgaria had asked for Makhmudov to be removed from the sanctions list.
Bulgaria’s position on the sanctions is formed on the basis of opinions from the competent authorities, and its sole purpose is to protect the Bulgarian interest, Petrova explained. She said that a meeting had been held under the coordination mechanism for the implementation of sanctions and a decision had been taken so that the procedure would be conducted in the most formal manner possible.
“Regarding the proposal that imposing restrictions on Iskander Makhmudov as owner of Transmashholding could affect Bulgarian economic interests, given Bulgaria’s use of derogations from EU sanctions for the Russian company Metrowagonmash, it is interesting that it was precisely during a GERB government that a derogation was requested for this company,” Petrova said.
“Apparently, at the time we believed there was a risk to the Bulgarian interest. It is difficult to understand why you do not think so now,” she added.
Hristo Gadzhev asked which competent institution had proposed that Makhmudov be removed from the list. “You are asking why we and the relevant institution specifically requested that the derogation be maintained because there is a risk to Bulgarian citizens,” the minister replied.
MPs Bozhidar Bozhanov of Democratic Bulgaria and Nikolai Denkov of Continue the Change also questioned the Foreign Minister about the sanctions package, asking whether, during the preliminary discussions on the EU’s 21st sanctions package, Bulgaria had requested the removal of additional individuals or entities beyond those publicly announced, such as the Russian Federation’s Sports Minister or Togliattikhimbank. They also asked, if so, what the reasons for the requested exclusions were and what the selection process had been for those particular individuals or entities.
“The process for taking decisions on sanctions does not go through the Council for European Affairs. A procedure has to be followed, involving positions from all competent institutions and ministries,” Petrova said. She explained that, during the negotiations, Bulgaria had indeed raised concerns about the proposal to impose measures on Russian Sports Minister Michael Degtyarev. Bulgaria’s arguments were that the individual had made no specific contribution to the military actions against Ukraine and that such a measure could not contribute to ending the war, Petrova explained.
Bulgaria also expressed reservations about the proposal to add Togliattikhimbank to the sanctions lists, arguing that the proposal concerned a regional commercial bank owned by one of the world’s largest ammonia producers and part of the Uralchem group. Uralchem, in turn, is a major producer of mineral fertilizers, a raw material that is not subject to sanctions, Petrova said.
According to the minister, Bulgaria continues to import such fertilizers, including from Russia and other EU member states. Given high prices and the unstable situation on international fertilizer markets, currently also in connection with the conflict in the Middle East, any restriction on these supply options could have a negative effect, Petrova said. Bulgaria subsequently withdrew its concerns regarding the two proposals with a view to reaching consensus, the minister added.
The competent institutions expressed a position calling on the Bulgarian government to raise reservations but, if consensus was reached, to support the sanctions. This was based on an assessment of the level of risk and whether other alternatives were available. “In principle, we have reservations, but the risk to Bulgaria is not so great that we could not support the sanctions if there is consensus,” she said.
“The fact that small quantities are imported from a distant Russian company does not sound to me like a convincing argument for not imposing sanctions on the bank that finances an element of the group that supports the production of ammunition used to kill Ukrainian citizens,” Bozhanov said.
“I think there is no need to speculate about the quantities. You can request information from the Economy Ministry,” Petrova replied.
Foreign Minister Petrova Says Bulgaria Sought Makhmudov’s Removal from EU Sanctions List to Protect National Interest 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-28 07:43:00
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