Energy Minister Iva Petrova said the protocol freezing the gas agreement between Bulgaria's Bulgargaz and Turkey's Botas for 15 months is confidential and will not be made public because it is an agreement between two commercial companies.
Speaking to Nova TV, Petrova explained that the document falls under commercial confidentiality and therefore cannot be disclosed publicly. She said the protocol gives both companies a 15-month period to seek a solution that would allow them to make the best possible use of the existing contract.
"The protocol is an agreement between two commercial companies – Bulgargaz and Botas. This is not a document that can be publicly announced because it falls under confidentiality," Petrova said. "It freezes the main contract for 15 months, giving the companies the opportunity to reach a solution that allows them to use the full potential of the agreement."
Her comments came a day after Prime Minister Rumen Radev declined to discuss the details of the protocol, saying only the companies involved could decide whether to publish it. "Turn to the commercial companies. Only they, if they decide, can announce the protocol on the 15-month freeze of the contract with the Turkish company Botas," Radev said.
