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Sat, May 26 2012
President Purvanov hits back at US ambassador over transparency in energy projects
An April 2010 archive photo of Bulgaria's Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov, left, and US ambassador in Sofia James Warlick.
Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov has reacted to United States ambassador James Warlick’s call for transparency about Bulgaria’s natural gas supply dealings with Russia by saying that there is complete transparency – and "advising" ambassadors in Sofia not to give so much advice about Bulgaria’s domestic and regional policy issues.
At the same time, Purvanov was reported by mass-circulation daily 24 Chassa to have said that he supported Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s call for checks into natural gas deals.
The profits being made by intermediaries should be disclosed publicly to expose the profits they were making at the expense of Bulgarian consumers, 24 Chassa reported Purvanov as saying.
Purvanov said that for years he had called for intermediaries to be removed from the process, to reduce the consumer price of gas.
On July 7 2010, Bulgarian National Radio reported Warlick as requesting an urgent meeting with Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov for details about the Bulgaria – Russia natural gas dealings, and called on Borissov to stick to his undertaking for Bulgaria to develop energy diversity.
In an interview with mass-circulation daily Trud, Warlick said he wanted to know what steps had been taken to prevent Bulgaria from being dependent on a single supplier.
Bulgarian National Television, in a July 7 reported, quoted Warlick as saying that he had two basic questions. First, what the Government could demonstrate in the direction of energy diversity, after talking about the issue during the year that it had been in power.
His other question for Traikov was what had happened about the transparency of contracts with Gazprom.
Warlick asked whether Bulgarian citizens were prepared to pay 30 per cent higher prices for gas "and maybe after a year or five years, an increase of 50 per cent or more?"
"But there is no way to know because all agreements are secret for now," Warlick said.
In a statement the same day, Traikov’s ministry said that Bulgaria and Russia were in active discussions about the South Stream natural gas pipeline project, with meetings at expert level this week on the roadmap. On July 16, Traikov will meet Alexander Medvedev, deputy head of the executive board of Gazprom, for talks.
According to Bulgarian National Television, so far only the US ambassador had requested a meeting with Traikov about the energy issue, but after meeting Warlick, Traikov "did not deny" that meetings with other diplomats were likely.
Existing contracts with Gazprom are unlikely to become transparent, Traikov said, because they contained secrecy provisions that the Russians jealously guarded.
Warlick said after meeting Traikov had the minister had been "very open", had helped to clarify what had happened in the Bulgarian-Russian talks earlier this week, and had given an assurance that Bulgaria’s Government was 100 per cent committed to diversifying its energy sources and achieving transparency in the energy sector.
"Now is in your hands to keep track of whether it will fulfill these commitments," Warlick said, Bulgarian National Television reported.
At the same time, Purvanov was reported by mass-circulation daily 24 Chassa to have said that he supported Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s call for checks into natural gas deals.
The profits being made by intermediaries should be disclosed publicly to expose the profits they were making at the expense of Bulgarian consumers, 24 Chassa reported Purvanov as saying.
Purvanov said that for years he had called for intermediaries to be removed from the process, to reduce the consumer price of gas.
On July 7 2010, Bulgarian National Radio reported Warlick as requesting an urgent meeting with Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov for details about the Bulgaria – Russia natural gas dealings, and called on Borissov to stick to his undertaking for Bulgaria to develop energy diversity.
In an interview with mass-circulation daily Trud, Warlick said he wanted to know what steps had been taken to prevent Bulgaria from being dependent on a single supplier.
Bulgarian National Television, in a July 7 reported, quoted Warlick as saying that he had two basic questions. First, what the Government could demonstrate in the direction of energy diversity, after talking about the issue during the year that it had been in power.
His other question for Traikov was what had happened about the transparency of contracts with Gazprom.
Warlick asked whether Bulgarian citizens were prepared to pay 30 per cent higher prices for gas "and maybe after a year or five years, an increase of 50 per cent or more?"
"But there is no way to know because all agreements are secret for now," Warlick said.
In a statement the same day, Traikov’s ministry said that Bulgaria and Russia were in active discussions about the South Stream natural gas pipeline project, with meetings at expert level this week on the roadmap. On July 16, Traikov will meet Alexander Medvedev, deputy head of the executive board of Gazprom, for talks.
According to Bulgarian National Television, so far only the US ambassador had requested a meeting with Traikov about the energy issue, but after meeting Warlick, Traikov "did not deny" that meetings with other diplomats were likely.
Existing contracts with Gazprom are unlikely to become transparent, Traikov said, because they contained secrecy provisions that the Russians jealously guarded.
Warlick said after meeting Traikov had the minister had been "very open", had helped to clarify what had happened in the Bulgarian-Russian talks earlier this week, and had given an assurance that Bulgaria’s Government was 100 per cent committed to diversifying its energy sources and achieving transparency in the energy sector.
"Now is in your hands to keep track of whether it will fulfill these commitments," Warlick said, Bulgarian National Television reported.
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Ambassador of the American people
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Is it the final death knell for Bulgaria's joint energy projects with Russia or yet another false alarm?
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Wow, Mike is "scared" by a legitimately elected President (complete with scare quotes) of the USA. I suppose he REALLY hated the previous commie president who socialized prescription drugs for the elderly, was legitimately elected only once in 2 terms, involved the US and the world in 2 seemingly endless wars in which more innocent people have been killed than terrorists.
Desen:
"...or the one of your supervisors.
I hope you get paid for the number of the postings you make, otherwise it would've been a total waste of time."
Yeah thanks for clarifying your views on Right vs Left since your nick is "Rightist" (Десен).. accusing every one of being a commie or even employed by KGB is infinitely easier than straining your mind with critical thinking, is it... what is a commie in the 21st century? Talk to me.. You can't be completely brain dead can you?
[...]
Read the full comment
How is Warlick different from the Russians, concern as he is with control of the energy flow and obviously the role of the Shells or the Chevrons of the world, in the geopolitical energy delivery dynamics, vs that of Gasprom or Lukoil? How do you find commie (of all things to lol) ideology in this strictly money/power game?
P.S. no need to repeat "we" and "here" in every sentence... we all believe you that you are in BG;)))
Joseph's comments about the U.S. political parties are right on. And, Valeri is also totally right when he says Obama is a bigger commie than Medvedev, Putin (and even Purvanov-haha! Although, I like to call that guy 'the hairdo'). I think that Purvanov telling ambassadors not to comment so much on BG policies is the smartest thing that guy has ever said. It showed he was at least paying attention that day. I don't normally comment on particular BG politicians, but I just can't stand that guy.
I do realize that countries are going to do [...]
Read the full comment what they can to get their hands on natural resources, I don't think that is anything unusual. But personally, this current U.S. 'president' really scares me and I don't trust his motives. In addition, his engagement 'policies' are only going to get us further involved in places most Americans don't want to be. This current 'president' has every capability of lessening our foreign commitments and is refusing to. He is now only making it worse than Jr. could have ever done.
Well done Jimbo!
Keep up breathing in the neck of those schmucks here - we do the same but it hardly makes any difference to the electoral base here.
Val, m8y, your wrongly defined PR is so plain and ineffective that even a two - year old can see it - you only seem to write where there is the ambassador involved, always where Russia's interests are somewhat stepped upon per your definition.. or the one of your supervisors.
I hope you get paid for the number of the postings you make, otherwise it would've been a total waste of time.
And you're telling me to wake up and not be a fool?
Excuse me?
P.S.
I am right about things you know;)
Warlick is going to be recalled sooner than you think - mark my words;)
Desen,
I am interested in how do you see Right and Left these days?
Left is "social justice" "welfare State" "high taxes" "punishing investment/success" "gay rights" "minority rights"... do you see Putin in any of those?
Putin's folks are right wing - a bit too right for my liking but so far from the Left - almost as far as you seem [...]
Read the full comment to be from the 21st century political dynamics... calling Putin a commie;)
@Десен
Lol, Warlick's boss Obama, is a bigger commie than Putin and Medvedev put together my friend;)
wake up and smell the 21st century!
This is about the US not wanting us to do any business with the Russians - that's the carity he's talking about. Don't be a fool..
The problem is that Russia isn't going away. It going to be right where it is, and if I had to judge by history, the US will pack up and leave much sooner than [...]
Read the full comment Russia.
Warlick is an ebarassment and will probably be recalled...
Ами, избирайте кого да слуте - Уорлик или Баба Ванга:
"Никога не се отказвайте от Русия. А се отказахте, а загубихте. Иначе, ве знам наизуст, и комунисти, и фашисти - един и същ боклук. Тор. Ке ве сменат..."
Looky here! Commis squealing about Jimbo's asking for diversifications and clarity.
Yeah, keep on dreaming guys, and get accustomed to the US Embassy's practice of giving opinion.
This is the future to you - clarity and diversification.
It is great that Ambassador Warlick is somewhat active on such issues. We here, in Bulgaria, really need this kind of commitment. Keep on the good job, Jimbo!
Ambassador Warlick confirms the thesis that Bulgaria is a vassal
province of the United States. It would not be bad if American investments revive Bulgarian economy dnd old women in their 70-s and 80-s are not forced to go and work on the fields in temperatures of 100'.
@Joseph,
that's an astute observation.
I do not think that this has much to do with US internal party politics... Bush was even more aggressive in his "New World Order" politics... it's complicated but the US, I think, is only acting line with its British colonial heritage - it seems to be on a quest to globalize the rest of the world that isn't part of the Global structure yet.
I connect the British colonial element with it, because the Brits, unlike the Spaniards or the French, actually looked to improve life [...]
Read the full comment somehow in the areas they dominated, not just exploit them, with other words they tended to have a longer term view.
I am all for globalization and integration of all little countries into a more international structure that would ensure rights and individual opportunities, (like BG into the EU) and if it has to be under American auspices, be it. The problem is that the US cannot divorce itself of its day-to-day immediate interests, so whatever they do, like the Warlick idiocy, it inevitably looks like domination.
I only wish that American policy makers were more interested in history than they apparently are. The previous two major pushes for globalization ended up in devastating wars.. as our proverb goes "with door locks and women, the gentle approach produces best results".. you can add globalization to those two.. Missiles aimed at Russia from all sides, will not make them come around... they need to just open a history book...
Our "love affair" with Russia isn't that any more than the British-American "special relationship" is love of any type. It's all about culture and geography, and we are kind of blessed and cursed with both. What's interesting is how little has changed:
After we were liberated by Russia in 1878, the west feared our gratitude to them, and at the Berlin Congress the Brits made a deal where they put most of BG right back under Ottoman domination, just to deny Russia the access to the Balkans.. Our politicians at the time did exactly what they are doing today - try to have it both ways, but ended up in alliances hostile to Russia - the only ones available to us, if we were attempting to build a modern European country - like NATO today..
The key and hope for us is the incorporation of Russia into the EU, on whatever level, but I fear that the US will never allow that. The US aims at replacing Russia and the imperial power in the East, not being replaced its self as the partner of the EU... Russia is just too big and rich in natural resources to allow CIA centers in Moscow, the way we have it in Sofia.
So if globalization means unification, the American attempts to lure the Georgias and Azerbaijans of the world, will have the effect of creating walls, because the purpose them is to isolate Russia not to incorporate her...
I agree Warlick is overstepping his bounds here. I will be happy if both political parties just went under in the US. As it stands now, I can't imagine the Republicans will do any better after 2000-2008. Not saying Obama is the best, but one election will not solve ianything in the US. You'll just replace one version of crazy with another.
The love affair Bulgaria has with Russia is nice given history, but I don't think there needs to be a lifelong alliegance to Russia. Do what is right for Bulgaria. If it means a [...]
Read the full comment deal with Russia, so be it. If it means a deal with the US, so be it. Use the imperialists(Russia, China, and the US) to benefit you.
Dan:
"I don't believe you for a minute ;)"
Because you know me so well?
I love many things about the US, mostly my (life long) friends, who are warm, affectionate, and always interesting. I love the ease with which Americans enter into working relationships (we are much more difficult with strangers and much less friendly) there are many things about the US culture that are admirable...
The US is an Imperial entity and that will inevitably make them disliked - there are no [...]
Read the full comment two ways about it. You can be liked, or you can have an Empire - you can't have both. It will take very little for me to forget my anger towards the US :
The US needs to respect as more as an EU country - that's all. Treat our citizen as EU citizen at your borders, (like the Germans do - hell they treat us better than the US!) restrain your ambassador and tell him not to act like a governor - forget BG - that's just disrespect for the European Union!
Make yourselves at home in BG but don't try to militarize you, especially against the Russians to whom we owe our very country.
These are not too many impossible condition for at minimum neutral attitude..
"THE AMERICANS ARE AGAINST PRICE FIXING BY MIDDLE MEN..."
Except that this is not the issue for the US ... the issue is South Stream which is in competition with Nabucco... The US is surrounding Russia with military bases and is trying really hard to isolate her, because she will not let the BP types take control of her energy riches...
Clinton just came back from - notice - Poland Georgia Azerbaijan and what else there - what do they all have in common? They are all around Russia. Simple as that... [...]
Read the full comment it can only end in tears..
DO NOT BE BLIND .THE AMERICANS ARE AGAINST PRICE FIXING BY MIDDLE MEN.WHICH IS NOT ALLOWED IN THE REST OF THE WORLD. PROBABLE TRYING TO HELP TO STOP THE BULGARIAN PUBLIC BEING RIPPED OFF. ALWAYS BETTER TO HAVE AN OUTSIDER KEEPING AN EYE ON THINGS.
"I wanna like the US but it's really hard..."
I don't believe you for a minute ;)
No, but this is so transparent!
You can imagine the phone call Warlick got from Washington:
"what's going on with your boy Boyko? We thought you said that you had him eating from your hand?
What are the Bulgarians doing talking South Stream with the Russians?
You better make sure that there is NO SOUTH STREAM or you can kiss your future goodbye!"
You see "diversification" for BG would mean South Stream AND Nabucco - that's not what the US wants.
(of course when [...]
Read the full comment Warlick says "diversification" he means suppliers, not alternatives...
I wanna like the US but it's really hard...
Mike, I totally agree with you. This "president" of ours is really getting us way too involved in just about everything. I hope that at least during the mid term elections, people start voting some of these weasels out of office.
This ambassador is infected with the O'Bama complex. He has really overstepped his authority and boundaries. The world and especially the USA is going to be much better off when the O'Bama regime has been fired after the next elections.
"... quoted Warlick as saying that he had two basic questions. First, what the Government could demonstrate in the direction of energy diversity, after talking about the issue during the year that it had been in power..."
Who has EVER heard of a foreign ambassador taking a government to task with their performance???
If the US sees nothing wrong with this concept, then they have their heads so far up their own asses, that will not stop until they've got the whole world hating them....
Look Warlick is an American representative and his interests are FIRST with the US.
He is pissed because God forbid we should do something that doesn't coincide with the interests of the US...
We should not care who keeps Bulgarian politicians accountable. If the opposition or the press were doing their job then perhaps the ambassador would not have need to talk out of turn. More power to those willing it ask the right questions.
What does Warlick have to do with Bulgaria's dealings. He should stand out of the way.