Bulgarian PM Gyurov Says Board of Peace Membership Driven by “One Oligarch,” Not National Policy

Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov has clarified that the country’s participation in the Board of Peace, a controversial initiative led by US President Donald Trump, was not a government consensus but the result of “one oligarch’s decision,” in an interview with Euronews. Gyurov emphasized that the move does not reflect Bulgaria’s official stance or parliamentary approval. The oligarch in question is media mogul and politician Delyan Peevski.

Speaking to Euronews, the Prime Minister said the decision to join the Board of Peace was “a personal question of one oligarch who is sanctioned by the Global Magnitsky Act” and added that it appears linked to efforts to have sanctions against this individual lifted. “I do not think it will work,” he noted, expressing concern over the influence certain oligarchs still have in Bulgarian political circles. While Gyurov did not name the individual, reports suggest he was referring to Delyan Peevski, a figure long tied to Bulgarian politics and currently sanctioned by both the United States and the United Kingdom for bribery and corruption.

Bulgaria became one of the few EU countries to join the Board of Peace when the initiative was launched in January. At the time, the decision was advanced by former Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, shortly before his government collapsed amid widespread protests. Gyurov explained that the national parliament has not yet ratified Bulgaria’s membership, and even if it does, the matter could be referred to the Constitutional Court. EU member states have raised concerns that the Board’s mandate may violate the UN Charter, complicating participation.

Initially, Bulgaria’s involvement was framed as support for a plan to help rebuild Gaza following the Israel-Hamas conflict. However, Gyurov said that as Trump expanded the Board’s mandate to a global scale, Bulgaria’s role and the agreement itself should be reconsidered. He highlighted that European legal analyses have flagged serious issues with the Board’s structure and the near-absolute powers of its chair, without a fixed time limit.

Despite these reservations, Gyurov stressed that Bulgaria remains committed to maintaining strong diplomatic relations with the United States. “It is important to preserve partnerships that have worked on both sides of the Atlantic for many years,” he told Euronews. At the same time, he underlined the importance of a strong, independent Europe capable of standing on its own.