Bulgaria’s PM Kiril Petkov in Parliament: Bulgaria is a sovereign state. We call on Russia to remain committed to constructive dialogue

Bulgaria is a sovereign state and we have long since made our choice by becoming a member of NATO.

This was stated by the Prime Minister, Kiril Petkov, from the parliamentary rostrum in a special statement outside the parliamentary agenda on January 21.

"From this rostrum, I want to state clearly: Bulgaria is a sovereign state and we have long since made our choice by becoming a member of NATO. And as such, we decide to organize our country's defence in coordination with our partners. The Washington Treaty does not provide for a second category of member-states, for which the collective defence applies selectively or in limited volume. We call on the Russian Federation to remain committed to a constructive dialogue on the de-escalation of tensions, as well as to work towards a more secure Europe based on the rule of law and strict enforcement of international legal commitments," the Prime Minister said.

Earlier today, a publication on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website said that Russia's security proposals called for the withdrawal of NATO troops from Bulgaria and Romania, which have been members of the Alliance since 1997.

Opposition GERB-UDF described the case as a threat to national security and asked the President to convene the Consultative Council on National Security (CCNS) on the subject.

"We expected you to say something a little more detailed - where Bulgaria is going in this position. We expected you to take a stand on why the Minister of Defence appears at anti-NATO protests. We expect a position to convene the CCNS and make it clear how you assess the wide geopolitical context, where is Bulgaria standing? Today's case does not exhaust all threats from the Russian Federation. We expect a much more detailed position - whether there will be 2% of GDP for defence, what is your position about convening a meeting of CCNS," said Daniel Mitov of GERB.

“Democratic Bulgaria” (DB) described the Prime Minister's reaction as timely.

"Rapid and timely reaction of the Prime Minister to take a position in favour of the Bulgarian membership in NATO. This is a strong position and I am satisfied with it. We will support the government's efforts to develop our membership in NATO. We will be in support." said the co-chairman of DB, Hristo Ivanov.

Vazrazhdane party called for prevention of foreign interference in the country's politics.

"Only the Bulgarian people and state can decide what troops there will be on Bulgarian soil. It is inadmissible for Washington and Moscow to dictate. Only the Bulgarian state can make such a decision. We condemn the deployment of American bases on Bulgarian territory. Unfortunately, regular meetings of Bulgarian ministers with the US Ambassador raise the question, who do they serve? We call for external forces not to threaten our national security," said Tsoncho Ganev of Vazrazhdane parliamentary group.

images by BGNES

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