Saturday 14 January 2012

Russia behind shale gas protests in Bulgaria

Today Bulgarians have witnessed concrete examples of  Gazprom´s - and probably also the Russian intelligence service´s - efforts to prevent the American-led shale gas revolution from reaching Europe:

Approximately 1,000 people have gathered in downtown Sofia to stage a protest against shale gas exploration and production in Bulgaria, Bulgarian National Radio reported.
The protestors urged the parliament to adopt a moratorium and, later, a ban on hydraulic fracturing method, which is used, as they say, in shale gas exploration works and production in Bulgaria.

Similar protests were organized in 11 more cities across Bulgaria.

Alex Alexiev, the chairperson of the executive council of the Centre for Balkan and Black Sea Studies in Sofia gave the background to the Russian efforts already in December:

“The grounds stated in the three draft bills on termination of shale gas studies in Bulgaria coincide with the opinion of Gazprom’s board of directors about the shale gas, published in the end of November,”

In Alexiev’s words, it is hard to avoid the impression that these Bulgarian politicians, deliberately or not, service the interests of the Russian monopolist and work to the detriment of the Bulgarian national interests.
“This is not surprising for the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), since together with their forerunners – the communists, they have always served their Russian masters. As far as Ataka is concerned and the people of Yane Yanev [the Order, Law and Justice (OLJ)] – I do not know what their motives are. I would not be surprised if there are some financial motives, too. The Russians are very generous when it comes to protecting their energy monopoly in Bulgaria,” Alex Alexiev said further.


Read the entire article here

3 comments:

NNoN said...

Mr. Alexiev knows the Russians, who are the ones trying to confuse and manipulate

Jolie said...

There were over 3000 people at the protest in Sofia, I was there, I know better. Over 12 000 in the country. We don't want this technology in Bulgaria apart from what nationality would be the company that is doing it. Even if it were a bulgarian one - we don't want it and will fight to the end, accept it!
БЪЛГАРИЯ НАД ВСИЧКО!

NNoN said...

To Jolie: 3000 in Sofia and 12000 in the whole country is not very much. But you people are used to being manipulated by your former Russian masters - and now apparently willing also to be used by radical environmental fanatics opposing the shale gas revolution.