Bulgaria considers Azerbaijan an important strategic partner in natural gas supply, Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov stated in the Azerbaijani capital Baku on Thursday, according to NEWS.am Interfax reports.
"Strategic partnership between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan continues to develop actively, placing the emphasis on the expansion of relations in energy and transport," Petkov said after his meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
He noted that Bulgaria considers Azerbaijan an important partner in diversifying natural gas supplies as well as improving the energy security of Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
At the end of April, Russian natural gas giant Gazprom completely stopped supplying natural gas to Bulgaria due to the latter's refusal to pay in Russian rubles for the natural gas it receives from Russia. Since then, Bulgaria has been seeking other ways to receive natural gas.