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President Rumen Radev in Brussels: Open Issues Between the EU and Russia Should Be Resolved via Direct Dialogue

Bulgaria supports the initiative of France and Germany to lead a direct dialogue with Russia in order to look for solutions to the open issues, stated President Rumen Radev before journalists in Brussels following his participation in the European Council meeting. The Head of State emphasised that this also concerns the level of EU ambition to be a global leader or an observer.

“I reminded all leaders that, in 2017, together, we signed the Rome Declaration, where it is clearly stipulated that Europe should be a strategic factor on the global scene,” the President noted and added that realism is necessary in geopolitical considerations and it is not by chance that at the previous European Council meeting he voiced the position that seven years of sanctions had not led to the desired results, therefore new tools for developing sanctions with Russia are required. “First and foremost, for de-escalating tensions, because we share a common European space with Russia, we aim for the same goals in fighting climate change and especially in security. There is no benefit in mutual opposition, therefore President Biden and President Putin gave a clear initial signal in this regard,” Mr. Rumen Radev pointed out.

There are clearly justified arguments on why relations with Russia should broaden in the proposals in the report of the High Representative and the European Commission, so an initiative on behalf of Chancellor Merkel and President Macron would be the logical continuation, Mr. Rumen Radev added.

Bulgaria’s Recovery and Resilience Plan must be developed in order to reach as many people as possible and to lead to true modernisation of the country, the President emphasised in his answer to a question. The Head of State reiterated that the Caretaker Government is working hard on the Plan as the previous Government did not submit its own project in line with European requirements and relying not only on absorbing funds, but actually leading to economic growth with clear priorities.

The project for developing a system for Helicopter Emergency Medical Service with 6 helicopters, allowing for assistance in the golden hour following an alert for help was outlined by the President as an example in this direction. “This is why they are hard at work in the interest of people, and I hope that very soon, in July, this plan be put up for public discussion and be submitted to the next Parliament,” Mr. Rumen Radev stated.

Questioned about the discussion on the law against paedophilia passed by Hungary, the President emphasised that the rumours of Hungary being expelled from the Union or leaving it on its own are exaggerated. “Condemning Hungary will not solve the problem,” Mr. Rumen Radev affirmed. He noted that he called for referring to the European values such as freedom, tolerance and human dignity not to be used as clichés during the debate and for using them with precision. “The right to self-determination is a core value and it must be defended, but nobody has the right to impose their beliefs and thinking on others,” the Head of State declared. “Therefore, I called for Prime Minister Orbán to share not only details of this law but also the grounds and reasoning for passing it. Mr. Orbán clearly stated that they believe this act to be in the interest of defending the rights of children and families,” Mr. Rumen Radev added.

The efforts at seeking legitimation abroad cannot compensate the loss of legitimation in Bulgaria, the Head of State pointed out when questioned about the claims of the previous Government of being subject to repressions on behalf of the Caretaker Government and that the country is in the process of reinstating communism. “It is absurd that here, in Brussels, such arguments are brought to the forefront as the European Parliament passed a resolution regarding the former Government, fully exposing the sins of their governance. You can see that later on, our partners from the USA also imposed unprecedented sanctions on Bulgaria and notably on businessmen close to the former Prime Minister, the President added.

Mr. Rumen Radev also noted that rule of law will become ever more topical for Bulgaria and that, in this aspect, Europe is lagging behind the US in implementing practical measures for combatting corruption. The President also emphasised that in the report on EU-Russia relations corruption and money laundering is outlined as one of the main problems. “The EU makes claims and closely examines what is happening in Russia in this regard, but until now Bulgaria has been left to the side. But we must first of all take a look at ourselves,” the Head of State commented. The President called for spending under the Recovery and Resilience Plan and future operational programmes to be subject to even stricter control on behalf of the EU.