The Speaker of the National Assembly Mihaela Dotsova met in person with journalist Sonya Koltuklieva after the incident with employees of the National Security Service and expressed her regret for what happened, Nova TV reported. “I wanted to meet with her in a personal conversation, face to face, to express my opinion on the matter and, above all, to express my deep regret for what happened, because what happened is absolutely unacceptable“, Dotsova told journalists in front of the Military District Prosecutor's Office building in Sofia.
She explained that she initially went to the Military Medical Academy, where Koltuklieva was admitted to the emergency department. After learning that the journalist had already left the hospital and was in the Military Appellate Prosecutor's Office, Dotsova went to the scene to talk to her.
„And what I told her was that basically as a person and as a woman I express my deepest regret for what happened. I have the utmost respect for the journalistic profession, I value the work of everyone, no matter what their views are, and I believe that this is how it should be in a democratic society“, said the Speaker of Parliament.
Asked about the reaction of the security guards, Dotsova emphasized that the NSO employees are guided by their own rules and she has no authority to order them how to react. „The Speaker of the National Assembly is protected by the National Security Service. They operate according to certain protocols. Believe me, I cannot determine and tell my colleagues from the National Security Service what to do and how to do it“, she pointed out.
Dotsova also told what the situation looked like from her perspective at the moment of departure: “When I got into the car, Mrs. Koltuklieva opened the door, which stressed me out. The colleagues got out and closed the door, and when the car started, I don't know exactly how the situation developed after the moment of departure“.
Dotsova was categorical that she would insist on a full clarification of the case from the security service leadership: “I, of course, will express my desire to the National Security Service to take the strictest possible measures, a full investigation and transparency about what happened. The NSO is an independent service, I cannot order them, but I can make a request“.