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WORLD NEWS Thursday 28 april 2022
EU nations accuse Russia of using natural gas as 'blackmail'

By VANESSA GERA and The new Polish sanctions
VESELIN TOSHKOV against Russia, announced
Associated Press Tuesday, targeted 50 Rus-
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — sian oligarchs and compa-
Polish and Bulgarian lead- nies, including Gazprom.
ers accused Moscow of us- Hours later, Poland said it
ing natural gas to blackmail had received notice that
their countries after Russia's Gazprom was cutting off
state-controlled energy its gas supplies for failing to
company stopped supply- pay in Russian rubles. Po-
ing them with gas Wednes- land's gas company, PG-
day. European Union lead- NiG, said the gas supplies
ers echoed those com- from the Yamal pipeline
ments and were holding stopped early Wednesday.
an emergency meeting on Russian gas supplies to
the Russian move. both Poland and Bulgaria
The gas cutoff to Poland already were expected to
and Bulgaria came after end later this year anyway.
Russian President Vladimir Poland relies on coal for
Putin said that "unfriend- 70% of its energy needs,
ly" countries would need with gas only making up
to start paying for gas in Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks to media at the gas station of Gaz-System in around 7% of its energy
rubles, Russia's currency, Rembelszczyzna, near Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, April 27, 2022. mix. Several years ago, the
which Bulgaria and Poland Associated Press country opened its first ter-
refused to do. minal for liquefied natural
Russian energy giant Gaz- ey Putin would lose with a revenge for new sanctions energy. gas, or LNG, in Swinoujscie,
prom said in a statement complete cutoff. against Russia that Warsaw "I don't know what the re- on the Baltic Sea coast. A
that it hadn't received any Russia, however, rejected imposed over Russia's inva- sults will be for regular citi- pipeline from Norway is to
payments from Poland the idea that it was using sion of Ukraine. Morawiecki zens like myself," said Nina due to start operating this
and Bulgaria since April 1 blackmail while warning called it an "attack on Po- Rudnicka, a lecturer at year.
and was suspending their it may halt gas supplies to land" and an example of Poznan University. "But I be- Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril
deliveries starting Wednes- other European customers "gas imperialism" while vow- lieve that one should not Petkov, whose government
day. And if those countries if they also refuse to switch ing that Poland would not bow to Russia's blackmail. has been cutting many of
siphon off Russian gas in- to paying in rubles. be cowed by the cutoff. He It was the right decision not the country's old ties with
tended for other European Putin's spokesman, Dmi- said the country was safe to change to payment in Russia, called Gazprom's
customers, Gazprom said try Peskov, argued that the from an energy crisis thanks rubles." suspension of gas deliver-
deliveries to Europe will be Russian demand to switch to years of efforts to secure Dobrin Todorov, a resident ies "a gross violation of their
reduced by that amount. to paying for gas in rubles gas from other countries. of Sofia, the Bulgarian capi- contract" and "blackmail."
European Commission Pres- resulted from Western ac- "We will not succumb to tal, said given a "choice He vowed to defend the
ident Ursula von der Leyen tions that froze Russian Russia's gas blackmail," between freedom and dig- country's interests and "sup-
said the announcement by hard currency assets. He he told lawmakers, to ap- nity or gas, the answer is port military-technical assis-
Gazprom "is yet another at- said those were effectively plause. He also sought to clear, in favor of freedom tance to Ukraine."
tempt by Russia to use gas "stolen" by the West in an assure citizens that the gas and dignity." "Unfortunately, in the re-
as an instrument of black- "unprecedented unfriendly cutoff would not affect Pol- "So we will go through this cent past we were treated
mail." action." ish households. ordeal. It cannot be com- as Russia's fifth column. And
Europe is not without some Polish Prime Minister Ma- Some Poles and Bulgarians pared to the hardship and there are many political
leverage in the dispute, teusz Morawiecki told Po- welcomed the cutoff for tribulations that the Ukrai- and economic circles that
since it pays Russia $400 land's parliament that he moving them closer to in- nian people are currently protect Russia's interests,"
million a day for gas, mon- thinks the suspension was dependence from Russian suffering," Todorov added. he said. q

Central African Republic president authorizes cryptocurrency

By JEAN FERNAND KOENA termined by the market. much of the country is con-
BANGUI, Central African Tax contributions can also trolled by armed groups.
Republic (AP) — Central be paid in cryptocurrencies Many officials and civil
African Republic has le- through platforms recog- society groups including
gally recognized the use nized by the government, Citizens Standing in Solidar-
of cryptocurrency after the the government statement ity with Central African Re-
president approved a law said. public have protested this
adopted by deputies last It said the country is now law, saying it risks national
week that has also made the "first country in Africa sovereignty.
bitcoin an official currency to adopt bitcoin as a refer- "By imposing cryptocurren-
alongside the West African ence currency." cies as national currency,
CFA franc in the African Central African Republic the power of Bangui has
nation. is among the world's poor- just sold off the little that still
President Faustin Arch- est countries, according to remained of the authority
ange Touadera validated the United Nations, and has of the State and its power
the law Wednesday, say- been in a state insecurity to control its economy,
ing that the exchange rate and increasing violence for and therefore its develop- An advertisement of Bitcoin, one of the cryptocurrencies, is dis-
played on a building in Hong Kong, on Nov. 18, 2021.
between cryptocurrencies nine years. The government ment," the group said in a Associated Press
and the FCFA is freely de- controls the capital, but statement.q