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Rumen Radev before the Diplomatic Corps: Bulgarian Foreign Policy Should be Open, Based on Principles and Predictable so that it Can Win Friends and Partners in the World

Bulgarian foreign policy should be open, based on principles and predictable so that it can win friends and partners in the world. This is what Head of State Rumen Radev said at the traditional reception for the leaders of the diplomatic missions accredited in Bulgaria. The President emphasized that Bulgarian foreign policy should be designed here, in Sofia, and thanked the ambassadors for their extremely fruitful activity and joint partnership in the development of the bilateral relations between the countries they represent and Bulgaria.

“The fact that Bulgaria took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 January 2018 is not only a challenge, but also a responsibility and a great opportunity,” the Head of State said and added that our country has clear priorities which it will follow in the next six months. “The values that guide us are solidarity, political unity and security. Reducing the differences in the economic development and the standard of life between the East and West, the North and South is also crucial for the EU,” Rumen Radev further said.

In the statement he made, the President called for adopting a balanced approach when setting the strategic long-term EU goals and resolving the issues that can no longer be postponed – the migration crisis, the protection of the external borders, the debates on a many-year financial framework and the shrinking EU budget after Brexit. “As for the Cohesion fund, the question is not whether but how the fund should be continued in the most efficient way. Solidarity is the EU’s most effective achievement and we should work so as to further preserve and develop it,” the Head of State was adamant.

Rumen Radev highlighted the European prospects of our Western Balkan neighbors as “the most important priority” of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council. “After all, Europe cannot be united, strong and stable unless we focus Europe’s attention to this region.  The prospects of EU accession of the countries in the Western Balkans should not be called into question,” the President said.  He added that, within the debate on this issue, the assessment of each country’s progress to this effect depends on its achievements.

“Bulgaria’s Presidency of EU Council does not mean that it is the only item on the Bulgarian foreign policy agenda. Our strategic partnership with the US and within NATO continues to be the corner-stone of our security. The projects under the European defense and PESCO should not duplicate, but should complement the capabilities within NATO and create much better conditions for integration of the European defense industry,” the Head of State further said.

Rumen Radev highlighted our country’s ambition to strengthen its partnership not only with Bulgaria’s neighbors from the region, with the EU and NATO partners, but also with big countries such as Russia, with which we have deep historical, cultural and spiritual ties, with India, China, Brazil and other partners from Asia and America, which have a high investment potential.

In 2018, we will also mark the 75^th anniversary of the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews during World War II and this unique feat of the Bulgarian civil society should be more broadly popularized so that never again will the language of hate, anti-Semitism and xenophobia determine the atmosphere we live in, the Bulgarian Head of State further highlighted in the statement he made before the diplomats accredited in Bulgaria.

On behalf of the ambassadors, the doyen of the diplomatic corps in Bulgaria – the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the state Palestine Dr. Ahmed Al Madbuh, wished the great Bulgarian people a successful year and a bright future.

“In the past year we have witnessed important events that raise concern. Some regions are afflicted by conflicts, others - by occupation and destruction, by natural disasters or man-made catastrophes. The international community, and also the regional organizations, should assist the weaker countries and people in their efforts to cope with the challenges the sustainable economic development and security face,” Dr. Ahmed Al Madbuh further said.