The president does not and should not make decisions about, neither be informed in details about, the activities of the commission that decides which politician or statesman should be guarded by the National Service for Protection. This is what Head of State Rosen Plevneliev said at the annual news conference he gave.
In response to a journalist’s question, the President recalled that way back in 2012 the Consultative Council for National Security reached a consensus on the legislative framework of the Security sector, including drafting a law on the National Service for Protection. “The National Service for Protection must document any decision and follow clear rules, including on the activity of the Commission that makes decisions on guarding Bulgarian statesmen,” the President said and added that the Commission has held many meetings after the law on the National Service for Protection came into force.
“The Commission must make responsible and well-grounded decisions. However, the National Service for Protection does not have an analytical unit, as the State Agency for National Security and the Interior Ministry do. Therefore there is a law and rules which have to be obeyed. It is the chief of the National Service for Protection who is responsible for making the decision to appoint guards or for revoking such a decision and this should not be done on the phone and should be well-grounded and supported by clear documents provided by the services in charge of this issue,” the President said. “Any time evidence is provided to me that rules have been broken and procedures have been disobeyed, I will be respond in a firm manner,” President Rosen Plevneliev was adamant.
The Head of State also recalled his principled stance against the oligarchy in Bulgaria. “I am asking whether there is a politician who did something against the oligarchy. We all declare that we support a socially-responsible economy and are against an oligarchy economy. The most effective measure against the Bulgarian oligarchy was taken by the first caretaker government, which established rules ensuring transparency and management of the public funds in the banking institutions. The fact that Bulgaria’s oligarchic bank was declared bankrupt, stems also from the responsible actions taken by a brave caretaker government,” the President commented.
Rosen Plevneliev highlighted his adamant stance on the CCB dossiers, as well as his reaction against the attempt to appoint Veneta Markovska as member of the Constitutional Court at the end of 2012, and also his open and principled opinion on the Ukrainian crisis and the cyber-attacks against the Bulgarian institutions in October 2015. “These were behind-the-scene actions against lawfulness. Sometimes I feel alone in the actions I take. Since Bulgarian politicians speak a lot about the rule of law, do they have the courage to specify who violates the rule of law. Was there anybody else to voice their opinion on the cyber-attacks against Bulgarian statehood, after all who attended the Consultative Council for National Security heard the report submitted by the State Agency for National Security. Why are they keeping silent and who is speaking?” the Head of State asked. “If we are honest and not only speak, but also act, such an attitude serves the interests of the Bulgarian public and state. As Head of State, I am calm about my actions related to these issues,” President Rosen Plevneliev further said.
As for the election of the Chief of Defense, The Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces said that the decisions to appoint a supreme command are always made after a dialogue is held. “We never act urgently. What is most important is the professional background and the values of the Chief of Defense. As Head of State, I have clearly set the direction of integration and increasing the interoperability with our partners. At the same time, when the Defense Ministry and the government make decisions, I expect that the Chief of Defense will voice principled positions and commitment that he will work in this direction. I am a partner in this process,” the President said.