Last June, the 60-year-old agreement between Bulgaria and Greece expired, according to which we provide 186 million cubic meters of water from the Arda River for irrigation of lands in our neighbors.
Will we have a deal with Greece for Bulgarian water… We wrote about the topic in the middle of last year, but the debate is currently in parliament. Why? Because it is time for a new agreement. This is clear from the parliamentary hearing of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. He did not reveal details because “… negotiations were underway and we should not give each other away“. But what became clear.
The Agreement
On June 9, 2024, the 60-year-old agreement between Bulgaria and Greece to provide 186 million cubic meters of water from the Arda River for irrigation of lands in Greece at 85% security. The agreement for the settlement of pending financial issues and the development of economic cooperation between the two countries entered into force on July 9, 1964. It practically settles other controversial issues between the two neighboring countries and has the character of post-war compensation from Bulgaria to Greece. It finalizes the counterclaims dating back to the period before the First World War.
It includes claims of any nature between the two countries, in particular those arising from the Peace Treaty of February 10, 1947 – for compensation of Greek individuals and legal entities against the Bulgarian state, whose property, rights and interests in Bulgaria were affected directly or indirectly by nationalization, sequestration, expropriation, liquidations, collectivization, etc., dictated by the structural reforms of the Bulgarian national economy.
Under the agreement, Bulgaria paid the Kingdom of Greece the sum of 7,000,000 US dollars. Of these, 12% are proceeds from implicit transactions and exports of Bulgarian goods to Greece, with the exception of machinery and equipment, the allocation of the value of which amounts to 20%.
The topic was also commented on in the Greek media, noting that “… The agreement channels 186 million cubic meters of water annually to the Greek side during the summer months to directly irrigate 202,000 acres of northern Evros and indirectly another 80,000-100,000 acres of the same territory, as well as thousands of acres of land in the central and southern regions.“
The quantities channeled over 60 years in Greece are satisfactory and all irrigation needs are regulated on the basis of these 186 million cubic meters.
Along the Arda River in Bulgaria, there are three dams built in a cascade - – “Kardzhali“, “Studen Kladenets“ and “Ivaylovgrad“. “Arda“ is the only system of large dams in our country built on a single riverbed. With a total catchment area of 5128 km2 and installed capacity, the cascade ranks among the largest hydropower complexes in Bulgaria, and with a total volume of dams of over 1.2 billion cubic meters, it ranks first in the country.
Its main purpose is the production of electricity and regulation of river flow. Passing through the city of Kardzhali, the waters of the Arda immediately enter the next dam in the cascade - – “Studen Kladenets“. The next dam “Ivaylovgrad“ is 25 km away. Six kilometers after the dam, the Arda leaves Bulgaria and enters Greece.
The case to date
Greece and Bulgaria were negotiating to extend the contract for the provision of water from the Arda River to Greek farmers for another 60 years. This became clear from the words of Assen Vassilev in parliament. Deliveries were extended within the last year and were carried out from May to September, when the crops needed them the most.
What we wanted
"Bulgaria's interest had to be protected. The negotiations with Greece resulted in a draft agreement that was to be finally coordinated with the legal teams and the relevant foreign ministries. Our position was that the economic agreement should be extended for another 60 years, but in three parts. The first part was related to the waters of the Arda River, which, if used outside the time zones that are best for NEK and the Bulgarian energy sector, would have to be paid for. The second part - Bulgaria would receive 60-year access to the port of "Alexandroupolis" with the adjacent economic zone. The third part, which was public, was from "Alexandroupolis" to Ruse to build a highway through Makaza, as well as a fast railway connection from the port to Kapitan Andreevo", explained Vassilev.
This happened during the Denkov-Gabriel cabinet. “An interdepartmental working group was also created at the Council of Ministers, which was chaired by Assen Vassilev“, explained Nikolay Denkov.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Energy, and the National Agency for National Security and Defense have always been in contact. This agreement was good for Bulgaria. We had an agreement on all three points with Greece and were at the final stage of signing the contract, but we see that the caretaker cabinet has done nothing on the issue, let's hope this cabinet continues", added Vassilev.
NEK explained that in the new negotiations with Greece, water to the neighbors in this timeless period from May to September has been “exchanged“ and for electricity from Greece, until an official document is signed. As the transfer of electricity from Greece to Bulgaria is currently valid in the winter period. It remains for the “Zhelyazkov“ cabinet to show that it can protect Bulgaria's interests.
There will be a deal with Greece
But it is good to remember something else. Bulgarian rivers also flow to Turkey, where they are also used for irrigation.
As we have already written in FACTS, this is a megaproject in Turkey that will use water from the Tundzha River to irrigate agricultural producers in Edirne! A mega dam will be built on Turkish territory, which will be “fed“ with water from the Tundzha.
And in our country… The state enterprise “Irrigation Systems“ is failing. Our irrigation systems are collapsing. Everyone knows this. But why is it not like this in Turkey and Greece…