„It is very important for me and for all Bulgarians to hear the debates, to hear the arguments of the political forces and the arguments with which they will make their decision. It is very important to take into account the place of Bulgaria, it is very important to take into account that Bulgaria has a historical diaspora in Ukraine. It is very important to keep common sense in making such a decision.“
This was stated by President Rumen Radev to journalists in Plovdiv on the issue of sending military aid to Ukraine. He was asked to interpret his May 1 comment, which states: „We must not tolerate political charlatans using the passions of war to their advantage.“
„First of all, it should be clear that in the first hours of the war, I convened a consultative meeting of the country’s government and we very clearly and categorically condemned the aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. Bulgaria is a loyal member of both the European Union and NATO, and is in solidarity with our partners and allies, but I have the feeling that many people speak without having their own opinion. If our partners tell them – „no, we should not provide weapons because it is dangerous and there is escalation“, they will say – „no, you should not“. If they are told „you must provide a weapon immediately“, they start doing just that.„, he explained.
According to the Head of State, people who instill militaristic sentiments are constantly demanding the provision of weapons.
„Unlike these partners, Bulgaria is much closer to this conflict. We actually have a common border on the Black Sea. Unlike our partners, we have a huge historical diaspora. „Some of them are dependent on about 6% of Russian gas, such as Spain, but we are much, much more dependent,“ Radev said.
The President stressed that those who make decisions should take into account above all the security of Bulgarians and this is the position from which they should be guided.
Asked what would happen if the BSP left the coalition, Radev replied that the procedure was described in the Constitution: „But I think the BSP leadership will find a wording that is not responsible if something is sent, but remains in the coalition.„
Europe should come up with a common decision after the suspension of Russian gas to some member states, the President said. According to him, Europe is late because the crisis has been knocking on the door for a long time.
„Russia has been warning for a long time about what could happen, but I do not justify it because it is a gross violation of the treaty. But the question is, what did Bulgaria do when it knew there was a potential danger and now what can we do? We need to see what the consequences will be – “Bulgargaz” has a license for a trader – has “Bulgargaz” signed a contract for direct delivery in May? If he had concluded it, what would have been the price – probably 70 euros. Are there any contracts with intermediaries now? Why did intermediaries appear? (…) If it turns out that the intermediaries are really entering the game, something that has been talked about since the removal of the previous management of “Bulgargaz”, is this not purposeful? What will be the price, because if it really jumps by 30%, hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians and small enterprises, structuring industries are on the brink. How will we bear this blow? If the solution is new loans for aid – someday our economy will collapse.“, Radev warned.
The two Bulgarian military plants have the capacity and resources to repair infantry fighting vehicles, Radev answered a journalist’s question and clarified: „The question is to what level. This is not a simple repair, but there must be spare parts. As far as I know, some of these spare parts can be produced here, but the rest are imported.„
