President Radev: I don't expect the kiss between Borissov (GERB-UDF) and Petkov (WCC-DB) to give birth to anything but disgust

Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the growing tensions in Kosovo, the problems in energy, in connectivity, in the future of our continent, an important topic in my talks will be the issue of Bulgaria's shaken confidence and shaken European perspective after the shameful audio recordings of the National Council meeting of "We Continue the Change" party and the subsequent self-confessions of the leaders. These events take us huge steps away from Europe, Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev told journalists in Moldova, where he attended the summit of the European political community on June 1, 2023.

Talks between GERB-UDF and WCC-DB resume: There will be no GERB ministers in proposed cabinet

"As values and morals, as principles and a way of doing politics, and in fact these recordings have swept away the sweet Euro-Atlantic facade and revealed the toothy face of a creeping dictatorship and fanaticism. As a demand for grave breaches of the law, for purges signed in blood, for treason, and all this discredits European leaders. The European press is thundering with negative comments about Bulgaria. This is a disgrace that has been poured on the face of our country," Radev said.

According to him, despite the gloomy revelations (from the leaked audio recordings), Bulgaria will be preserved as a normal, democratic European state.

Regarding the negotiations to form a cabinet, Radev said Bulgaria should have a regular government. He argued that it should be normal, based on clear, democratic principles and, above all, should work for Bulgaria.

"I do not expect the kiss between Borissov (the leader of the largest parliamentary group GERB-UDF) and Petkov(of the second largest parliamentary group “We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria”) to give birth to anything but disgust, and that does not lead to trust and sustainable solutions," the President said.

Rumen Radev held a meeting with the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, the head of state's press secretariat said. During the talks, the Bulgarian President raised the issue of the EP's key role in upholding European values and democracy in assessing the progress of the Western Balkans on their European path. According to Rumen Radev, the attempts by the EU candidate countries to interfere in changing the content of documents prepared by European institutions, including the EP, are unacceptable.

Rumen Radev expressed his gratitude for the timely reaction and decisive support for the Bulgarian MEP, who was denied access to the Republic of North Macedonia in early May this year. President Radev stressed that this act is contrary to European principles and demonstrates disrespect for a representative of an EU institution. The Head of State further said that this is not an isolated case in which the RNM violates good neighbourly relations.

As a particularly worrying development of the situation in the RNM, the President highlighted the public statements of senior state officials about the preparation of "blacklists" for Bulgarian citizens, including politicians, who are denied access to the territory of the RNM. This approach demonstrates the insurmountable legacy of the totalitarian past and reveals the need for substantial reforms in the country to overcome it.

In the coming days, the recently adopted legislative changes that create a mechanism for investigation of crimes allegedly committed by the Prosecutor General will come into force. We expect that this decisive step in the progress of judicial reform in Bulgaria will change the position of the Netherlands on the country’s bid to join Schengen, President Rumen Radev said, who held talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Moldova today, the head of state's press secretariat said.

The Bulgarian President expressed his expectation that the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code will be positively reflected in the Commission's annual report on the rule of law, which is expected to be published in early July.

Rumen Radev expressed hope that with the changes to the law Bulgaria has managed to address the concerns of the Netherlands and recalled that the European Commission and the European Parliament have repeatedly stated Bulgaria's readiness to join Schengen. In addition, inspections in Bulgaria and Romania, organised by the European Commission last year, concluded that the country continues to meet the conditions for full membership.

Radev reminded that all EU member states, except two, including the Netherlands, support the country's accession to Schengen in October 2023.

Further deepening of bilateral cooperation in the fight against illegal migration and accompanying organised crime was discussed at a meeting today between Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Head of State's press secretariat said. The talks took place on the sidelines of the summit of the European political community, which brings together leaders from across Europe in Moldova today.

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President Radev and Prime Minister Sunak confirmed that Bulgaria and the UK will continue to work to strengthen the close cooperation already established to prevent organised criminal activity related to illegal migration, as well as with regard to criminal networks and specialised equipment used to facilitate illegal trafficking. The two leaders reaffirmed the need for solidarity, multinational solutions and to work together to protect Europe's borders.