The Bulgarian government is currently consulting with Brussels on whether to allow the transfer of money to the embassy account.
Bulgaria blocked a bank transfer to the Russian embassy in the amount of nearly 890 thousand dollars. This was announced on Wednesday, July 6, by the Minister of Finance of Bulgaria, Asen Vasilev, on the air of the radio station BNR.
He clarified that such a decision was made within the framework of the sanctions imposed by the European Union.
“There is a bank transfer at the Russian embassy, which is directly subject to European Commission sanctions. There are no frozen bank accounts,” Vasilev said.
He added that the Russian embassy had previously requested a partial removal of restrictions, as funds were needed to pay salaries to employees.
Minister Vassiliev added that the Bulgarian government is currently negotiating with the European Union for similar exemptions to allow the transfer of funds.
Relations between Moscow and Sofia deteriorated after Bulgaria expelled 70 Russian diplomats on suspicion of spying. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would retaliate, and Russian Ambassador to Sofia Eleonora Mitrofanova proposed to close the embassy entirely.
Recall that the Russian embassy in Sofia has stopped issuing tourist visas to Bulgarian citizens.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.