I was impressed that neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the American embassy released any information on the topic. This suggests that either the conversations were secret, or there is something else – things are not exactly as they seem. In Bulgaria, politicians say one thing, and abroad another. This was said in the program "Face to Face" on BTV by former Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Nadezhda Neynski in connection with the words of Prime Minister Rumen Radev that he raised the issue of abolishing visas for Bulgarian citizens with US President Donald Trump, requesting that the topic be considered urgently.
We remember that there was hysteria in Bulgaria about these tanker planes – President Radev called the caretaker government warmongers, but after the elections the narrative changed – the agreement with Ukraine is no longer a problem, and an extension of the stay of the tanker planes is also being discussed. It is very important for people that what you say before the elections and what you say after the elections are the same, otherwise doubts begin to arise about your integrity, Neynski said.
For me, the question of where Bulgaria's place is in the European Union is important. I was impressed that Prime Minister Radev's first visit was to Germany, and the practice is to be in Brussels. For me, he wants to emphasize that he cares more about developing bilateral relations. For me, the important question remains whether this expanding partnership is based on common assessments of the geopolitical situation, such as the war in Ukraine. Because for Germany, Russia is the biggest threat to Europe. It is no coincidence that Germany has taken very serious measures to strengthen its security, including the fact that many enterprises have switched to military regime, the former foreign minister pointed out.
So, much remains unknown whether Bulgaria will remain a fair and predictable partner in the European Union with the new government. The interest of the US and Russia to break up the European Union is understandable - because it is their competitor, but I do not understand what Bulgaria's interest is in this regard, as a relatively small country. In this sense, I do not accept that Bulgaria should become a Trojan horse in the European Union, because it will lose much more than it will gain, emphasized Nadezhda Neynski.
She noted that Bulgaria has an interest in North Macedonia becoming a member of the European Union, but only if the condition of respecting the rights of the Bulgarian community is fulfilled.
I believe that with their actions, Macedonian politicians are wasting the time of the Macedonian people, because they want to join the EU, commented Neynski.