SOFIA, February 1. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova elaborated on Moscow's demand for NATO to return to its 1997 borders, emphasizing that this does not entail Bulgaria leaving the alliance in an interview with the NOVA TV channel on Tuesday.

"The issue of countries that joined NATO after 1997 seceding from NATO is not being raised. We are talking about the pullout of the military contingent, bases and strategic weapons stationed on their territory since 1997. And currently, we are not talking about Bulgaria at all since right now you have neither bases nor strategic offensive armaments, although this does concern Romania to a certain extent," the envoy noted.

"We are talking about a principled attitude, about a certain military contingent, strategic armaments and bases located on the territory. There is nothing of the kind in Bulgaria. I would like to emphasize that your government was very right, in my opinion, not to talk excessively sharply on this issue and not to attempt to play these games. This is not Bulgaria's game, you don't need this at all," the diplomat explained.

In response to a question about possible problems with gas deliveries due to the introduction of sanctions against Russia, the envoy stressed that Bulgaria wouldn't be affected. "I think that this variant of events unfolding does not involve Bulgaria. Russia has always been, even during difficult times, a reliable foreign trade supplier. Secondly, if one talks about the problem as a whole, then it is necessary to remember Nord Stream 2 and the constant attempts to stop it. By not launching Nord Stream 2, Europe is punishing itself. This is not a crisis for Russia because our gas flows can be redirected in the eastern direction where there is high demand. Yet for Europe this will be a big and real threat, the inflation spiral unwinding because liquefied gas is very expensive and Americans, as we have already found out, cannot be considered reliable partners on its deliveries," the ambassador noted.