MOSCOW, May 26. /TASS/. Bulgaria could have cheap electricity and many economic advantages, but sanctions against Russia and the European Commission’s policies are blocking this, Angel Georgiev, a member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, said in an interview with TASS.

"Our goal is to turn Bulgaria into a bridge between East and West. We can become a global hub, in trade, logistics, thanks to our geographic location. We have many advantages that are currently blocked only because of the European Commission’s wrong decisions. For example, Bulgaria could have cheaper electricity, the foundation of the economy, but our electricity prices are much higher precisely because of the European Commission’s so-called green policy and anti-Russian sanctions," he said.

In Bulgaria, there’s an unfinished nuclear power plant on the Danube River in the city of Belene, Georgiev added. "It was originally a Russian project. No reactors were installed there. We must do this using Russian technology so that they operate and produce cheap electricity. And that’s our mission. It was a Rosatom project," he said, adding that previous governments "decided to replace them with American reactors, paying huge sums for them."

"The first Kozloduy NPP in Bulgaria was also built by Soviet specialists. It had six power units, four of which were shut down only because of the European Union's requirements: we were forced to do it to join the EU. Currently we have two operating units. Our goal is to have two more. The situation is very bad, it’s insane. The government has every authority to simply talk to the Russian government and say, ‘Let’s restart the Russian project’. But they’re not doing that," the MP stressed.

According to Georgiev, people "voted with hope, hoping for change." "This situation isn’t unique to Bulgaria. I was in Cyprus a few weeks ago. There used to be a lot of Russian tourists there, and tourism was booming. Now it’s gone. Cypriot tourism is declining due to the lack of Russian tourists. And this is happening because they’re following the decisions of the European Commission. Of course, that’s their choice, and we don’t interfere. They can do whatever they want. But it's bad for Bulgaria," he concluded.