Bulgaria No Bias Against Russia, Presidential Candidate Says

Bulgarian presidential candidate, Rosen Plevneliev, has said that the country's objections to Russia's energy projects is not based on any "anti-Russian bias." Mr. Plevneliev, the candidate from the ruling party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria Party, says that any objections are based on misgivings about the projects themselves.

"The energy projects cannot be realized at any cost and simply because they are Russian," the Sofia News Agency reports him as saying. "An energy project can be realized only after we get the figures on the table and get a complete justification of its purpose.

"Bulgaria's relations with Russia are not solely limited to energy ties and the 'Grand Slam,' but our nations are also connected with great friendship feelings and economic ties," he said.

Bulgaria has disagreed with Russia on various energy projects in recent months and years. Last year, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov halted an agreed pipeline between the two countries, the Burgas-Alexandroupoli line.

However, Bulgaria will still go ahead with gasline projects with several other countries, Mr. Plevneliev said, including Serbia, Romania, Turkey and Greece.