Bulgaria will not support sanctions that would harm its economy. This was stated by Prime Minister Rumen Radev on the occasion of the new package of sanctions against Russia being prepared by the European Union.
“The time of crusades is over and Bulgaria has always defended its interests, especially in energy“, he said.
The Prime Minister indicated that it will still be analyzed how possible sanctions against “Lukoil“ would affect the country.
„Today it will become clear what Bulgaria's position will be in the vote“, said Radev.
According to him, the country will not allow support for measures that would have a negative effect on the Bulgarian economy.
Regarding the truce between the US and Iran, the prime minister commented that the situation remains uncertain.
„The truce is very fragile“, he said.
According to Radev, the role of Israel must also be taken into account in the process.
„There is also a third country - Israel, which pursues its own goals. I expect there to be a comprehensive approach to this peace process and for Israel to participate as well," he added.
The Prime Minister criticized the rulers of North Macedonia, accusing them of hindering the country's European integration.
„Unfortunately, the political leadership of the state of North Macedonia stubbornly goes against the interests of its own citizens to have faster European integration“, Radev said.
According to him, hate speech is being instilled in the country and historical topics are being misused.
„The policy of instilling hate speech at the highest level, the lack of tolerance and the distortion of history as a tool in international relations will not lead them to anything good“, he said.
Radev stressed that Bulgaria will continue to insist on compliance with the commitments made on North Macedonia's European path Macedonia.
„Don't forget why Bulgaria managed to impose in the European Union the understanding of all member states for the inclusion of Bulgarians in the Constitution of North Macedonia - precisely because of the protection of their fundamental rights“, said the Prime Minister.
According to him, in recent years there has been a retreat from the achieved European consensus.
„Now we must again make maximum efforts to convince the leaders that the consensus reached in July 2022 must be respected“, said Radev.
He also commented on the case of the arson of a car of the Bulgarian diplomatic mission in North Macedonia.
„As long as there are no clearly established principles of European law and consequences for the perpetrators of such acts, there can be no progress. The Republic of North Macedonia must convince the European Union that it respects human rights and can guarantee the security of diplomatic representatives on its territory,“ said the Prime Minister.
In conclusion, Radev said that in his opinion, the political leadership in Skopje does not demonstrate a real desire to accelerate European integration.
“The political leadership is doing everything possible to distance its country from membership in the European Union,“ he said.