Bulgaria PM, President Clash over Recall of Turkey, US Envoys

The latest exchange in the war of words between Prime Minister Boyko Borisov (L) and President Georgi Parvanov (R) came over the proposed recall of two ambassadors. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's prime minister has made it clear he won't step back on his decision to recall the country's ambassadors to Turkey and the United States despite the president's disagreement.

"The government will not change its stand on this issue and I am sure that the president will finally embrace our decision,” Boyko Borisov said on Sunday.

Earlier this week the Bulgarian government approved the recall of the Ambassadors to Turkey and the USA, Branimir Mladenov and Lachezar Petkov, over violations in the Bulgarian Parliamentary Elections in July 2009 in the respective countries.

President Georgi Parvanov, whose signature is needed in order to actually recall the incriminated Ambassadors, however said he is not convinced that they are guilty and accused the government of excluding him from the procedure for investigating their alleged violations.

The president said he first needed to see all evidence indicating the violations in question stressing that he would remove them if they were responsible.

"I don't want to have the Bulgarian Ambassadors bear the brunt of something that might be somebody else’s fault,“ Parvanov said on Saturday.

Meanwhile Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister, Rumiana Jeleva, expressed readiness to provide President Parvanov with all details on the investigation of Mladenov and Petkov. Even after their recall, the Ambassadors are going to retain jobs at the Foreign Ministry.

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