Bulgaria’s President wants the Veto on North Macedonia to Continue and thinks Providing Weapons to Ukraine is a Risk
Politics | March 31, 2022, Thursday // 18:12| views
Radev: Providing weapons to a warring country poses a risk to the security of Bulgarians
President Rumen Radev reiterated that as head of state he would not allow Bulgaria to be involved in the military conflict in Ukraine. He answered a question about the parties' proposal to send military support.
“Providing weapons to a belligerent party poses a risk to the security of Bulgarians. When someone proposes such a solution, there must be appropriate justification for what they are proposing so as to minimize that risk,” he said.
Bulgaria can provide Ukraine with Мilitary Equipment but not Aircraft and Defense Systems
He also asked the parties from the former government what they have done to modernize our army so that there is no deficit. We don't have modern planes, ships, you know what ammunition is waiting for disposal, he added.
“Even if we want, we have nothing to give,” the president said.
“Apart from military security, such a decision also poses a risk to economic and social security. It is unacceptable for me to say that in the country with the poorest population in terms of energy security, to stop even with energy supplies,” he added.
Bulgarian PM met with the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement
Regarding the negotiations for North Macedonia’s EU membership, Radev said that he and EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi had come to the realization that there was a problem, that clear concrete actions should be taken to address the rights of Macedonian Bulgarians, to eradicate the language of hatred, for revision of textbooks, so that young people are not educated in the spirit of hatred against Bulgaria, in measures to preserve the Bulgarian cultural heritage.
“We have made some progress in our work. These problems, as he shared, thanks to Bulgaria's resilience, are realized and become a commitment of the EU. The question is what tools to ensure the protection of our interests. This is what I expect from the Bulgarian government to categorically protect our national interest,” Radev said.
Officially from Skopje: 3504 People in North Macedonia Counted as Bulgarians
Asked what our reaction will be after yesterday's census in the Republic of North Macedonia, Radev said that he had paid attention to European leaders monitoring the census because we receive many signals of violations.
“This is another proof of the lawlessness and lack of justice of the Bulgarians in the RNM, who do not dare to openly declare that they are Bulgarians, given that over 120,000 people here have proved with a document of origin that they are Bulgarians. This means that Bulgaria must continue with the veto policy of starting membership negotiations until we receive clear guarantees for what I told you just now,” he said.
Bulgaria: New Jump in Gas Prices from April 1
Radev also commented on the moratorium on prices, which he said took time to gather information, analysis and estimates, and should have clear decisions at the end.
“I expect that the government will take all necessary measures so that all these crises around us and difficult to predict factors around the war in Ukraine, to make all changes in electricity prices, energy prices bearable for Bulgarians,” said the president.
Radev also wanted to hear what the ruling party's vision will be for household consumers to enter the free market. He hopes it will not be hasty and unprepared.
He said that during the consultations on the composition of the government he had said that those who have ambitions to govern should be able to do so even in times of crisis. He expects effective crisis management with a visible effect on sustainable social and economic policies in the interests of Bulgarian citizens.
The President also commented on the information that the Special Prosecutor's Office is investigating counterintelligence for espionage in favor of Russia as follows:
“SANS has a strong immune system and I think they are working actively there so that they do not allow any breakthrough in the agency in terms of espionage.”
Today, the head of state attended a training of students from Sofia schools on the training ground for protection in case of disasters, accidents and crises in the Pancharevo region.
On the spot, Rumen Radev also got acquainted with the activities of the Emergency Aid and Prevention Directorate at the Sofia Municipality. The functions of the test site, the methods for training students and the emergency rescue methods in different emergency situations were presented.
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