Foreign Minister: Bulgaria Has Never Officially Been Part of the 'Coalition of the Willing'

Bulgaria has never officially been part of the Coalition of the Willing, Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova said in a written reply to a question from a Member of Parliament from Democratic Bulgaria, published on Parliament's website.

Atanas Slavov of Democratic Bulgaria asked when and on what legally valid grounds a decision had been taken to withdraw Bulgaria from the international partnership format known as the 'Coalition of the Willing', and whether an assessment had been made of the impact that the declared withdrawal could have on the country's strategic national interests.

According to Bulgaria's Foreign Minister, there has been no act by either the Council of Ministers or the National Assembly under which Bulgaria has officially become part of the 'Coalition of the Willing'.

In this context, Bulgaria could not take a decision to withdraw from the informal group of states known as the "Coalition of the Willing", as it has never officially joined it, Velislava Petrova said.

Velislava Petrova, Minister of Foreign Affairs: “The ‘Coalition of the Willing’ is informal and flexible in nature; it is not an international organisation and has no formal membership, which is why it is not subject to a formal procedure for coordination and interagency approval.”

She was referring to remarks made by Prime Minister Rumen Radev in Paris, where he said that "Bulgaria's place is not in the 'Coalition of the Willing'. He also stated that he had personally received an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to take part in the coalition.