Bulgaria's Nationalists against Unconditional Support for Serbia

Bulgaria's nationalist leader Volen Siderov has urged the government to set some conditions before giving its support for Serbia's EU entry. Photo by BGNES

The nationalist leader Volen Siderov has urged the Bulgarian government to set some conditions before giving its support for Serbia's EU entry.

Siderov has proposed that in order to receive Bulgaria's support, Serbia should change its policies towards the people with Bulgarian self-consciousness living on its territory.

“ Usually, Bulgaria is a country that supports without setting any conditions or defending its own interest. Let's change this policy and let Bulgaria become a country that is defending its interests when it comes to other countries and their EU entries,” Siderov said at a Parliamentary discussion of the ratification of the agreement for stabilization and association between the European communities and their EU member states and Serbia.

The ratification has been approved by all the MPs from the Parliament except the members of the Bulgarian nationalists party “Ataka”, who have abstained.

The country's Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has stated that Bulgaria should support the EU integration of all the Western Balkan countries as long as they meet the entry criteria.

“Bulgaria will defend its interests and the interests of our compatriots, but will do it as an EU member state, which means to know all the existing mechanisms for the protection of our compatriots,” Mladenov said.

According to Siderov's idea, the Foreign Ministry should set conditions concerning the Bulgarian minority in Serbia, which is “deprived from its rights”.

In April, representatives of the Bulgarian minority in Serbia staged a protest rally before the Parliament in Sofia demanding more protection on part of the Bulgarian state.

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