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President Rosen Plevneliev Reconfirmed Bulgaria’s Clear, Firm and Principled Support for the European Future of Ukraine

Head of State Rosen Plevneliev reconfirmed Bulgaria’s clear, firm and principled support for the European future of Ukraine during the talks he held with the President of the country Petro Poroshenko, who is on a one-day official visit to Bulgaria. The visit is the first a Ukrainian president has made for the past 15 years. Bulgaria welcomes the process of reforms in key sectors of Ukraine’s public and political life, including conducting a constitutional reform, and also the efforts put in fighting corruption, which the Ukrainian president briefed the Bulgarian Head of State on.  

Bulgaria consistently and firmly supports the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and also the international efforts to resolve the crisis in Eastern Ukraine using peaceful, diplomatic means, President Rosen Plevneliev said at a joint news conference with the President of Ukraine. “Bulgaria does not recognize the results from the referendums, organized by the self-proclaimed authorities in Donetsk and Luhansk. The need to fully fulfill the commitments assumed by all sides in the conflict under the Minsk agreements remains without an alternative. We have never recognized and will never recognize the illegal occupation and annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. I have said more than once: for us Crimea is Ukraine and Ukraine is Europe,” the Head of State was adamant.

At the talks held between President Rosen Plevneliev and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko issues of the bilateral trade and economic cooperation, and also those on the European agenda were highlighted. 2016 marks the 25th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and Ukraine.

“Ukraine is an important part of Bulgaria’s foreign policy priorities. We welcome the association agreement with Ukraine and we were one of the countries which ratified it. The fact that the deep and comprehensive free trade zone came into force on 1 January 2016 is another important step towards establishing closer ties between Ukraine and the European Union. We hope that soon the Ukrainian citizens will travel without visas to all EU member states,” President Rosen Plevneliev said after the official talks between the two delegations.  

The President added that the agreements reached and the signed documents will give an impetus to the development of the bilateral relations. In the presence of the two presidents, an Intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in case of disasters was signed, also a Memorandum between the Bulgarian and Ukrainian Ministries of Youth and Sport on cooperation in the sphere of youth and an Agreement between the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the State Space Agency of Ukraine on cooperation in the framework of the space experiment Ionasat-Micro at the spacecraft Microsat-M.

“Currently more than 300,000 Bulgarians call Ukraine their home. I would like to thank the Ukrainian government for the respect and the good attitude to the Bulgarian community. We are close friends and reliable partners on all levels,” President Plevneliev said. The Bulgarian community in Ukraine is the biggest historically formed Bulgarian community abroad, the Head of State recalled and said it was a natural bridge between the two peoples.  

“The representatives of the Bulgarian national minority are hard-working and loyal citizens of Ukraine. I am sure that efforts are pooled to guarantee the rights of the minorities in line with the standards of the Council of Europe and also to guarantee their active inclusion in the political and social life of the country,” the Bulgarian President further said.

The President voiced Bulgaria’s high appraisal of the Ukrainian government’s policy on the learning of Bulgarian language in Ukraine. “We are happy that the majority of the students of Bulgarian origin in Ukraine have the opportunity to study Bulgarian language and culture in the Ukrainian state schools. It is important for Bulgaria that a balanced law on state language policy and the languages of the minorities be adopted, which should take into account their rights and be directed towards their integration in all spheres,” Rosen Plevneliev highlighted. Our country also expects that the administrative reform in Ukraine will not lead to the division of the Volgograd region, which is the hub of the Bulgarian national minority in the Odessa region.

Bulgaria and Ukraine also declared their common interest to work so as to develop the transport links between the two countries, and a lot of joint projects were outlined. Our country hopes that the 7th session of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation will soon take place, which will stimulate the trade and economic ties.  

In the security sector Presidents Rosen Plevneliev and Petro Poroshenko shared the opinion that the crisis in Ukraine continues to generate threats not only for the Black Sea region, but also globally. Bulgaria appreciates Ukraine’s role as an important NATO partner, as well as the strengthened dialogue within the NATO-Ukraine commission. During the meeting of the defense ministers of the NATO member states in June 2016, a decision was made to increase the support through the Comprehensive Package of Assistance to Ukraine and it is expected to be approved at the NATO summit in Warsaw.

NATO’s support will also continue along the line of the trust funds, President Plevneliev further said. The Republic of Bulgaria is a leading nation in the NATO trust fund for treatment and rehabilitation of Ukrainian servicemen and so far 18 Ukrainian servicemen have undergone rehabilitation in a base of Military Medical Academy. Our country is in charge of coordinating the activities related to the project. Bulgaria also assists Ukraine along the line of the NATO-Ukraine Logistics and Standardization Trust Fund.   

“The best possible counteraction of aggression is friendship, the rule of law. The best possible response lies in cooperation, in diplomacy, in the hand lent and our support for Ukraine is not simply support for a friendly country. This is support for the principles we cherish – the rule of law and the right of all nations to alone decide their future,” President Rosen Plevneliev further said.

President Petro Poroshenko voiced gratitude for Bulgaria’s “firm and principled position” in support of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. “Your positions on the non-recognition of the annexation of Crimea and condemning the aggression in Eastern Ukraine are very important to us,” the Ukrainian President said. Petro Poroshenko also highlighted the Bulgarian contribution to the special monitoring mission of OSCE, which plays an important role in guaranteeing peace in the region of crisis.  

Petro Poroshenko voiced gratitude for the Bulgarian support for the introduction  of a visa-free regime for the Ukrainian citizens.  

The partnership between Bulgaria and Ukraine is special and Bulgaria’s assistance, including along the line of the Trust Fund for further treatment and rehabilitation of Ukrainian servicemen is yet another proof of the partnership and friendship , which we highly appreciate, President Petro Poroshenko further said.