Bulgaria is following with concern the worsening security environment in the Middle East and the escalating risk of the military conflict between Israel and Hamas becoming a regional one. This is what Head of State Rumen Radev said during a meeting today with the ambassadors of the Arab countries in Bulgaria. The meeting took place on the initiative of the diplomatic representatives of the Arab countries accredited in this country in view of the situation in the Middle East.
At the beginning of the meeting, President Radev recalled the traditional friendly ties between Bulgaria and a number of Arab countries, which are reflected in the sending of thousands of Bulgarian physicians, engineers, medical and technical specialists, as well as in the training of scores of thousands of Arab students in Bulgarian universities to bolster the independent and democratic development of the countries in the region. The President also called for the support of the Arab countries in the efforts to free the Bulgarian sailors on the detained ship the Galaxy Leader.
In their response, a number of the Arab ambassadors stressed that they address the Bulgarian president as the leader of a friendly country, in whose balance and wisdom they have great confidence.
The President stressed that the military operations in the Middle East have a direct impact on international peace and affect stability in adjacent regions. Therefore, Bulgaria is ready to support any proposal for the cessation of hostilities, de-escalation of the conflict and search for a solution to restore peace. The Head of State recalled Bulgaria's principled position against all forms of terrorism and the right to defend against them in compliance with international law. At the same time, Rumen Radev also expressed this country's strong concern about the critical humanitarian situation in Gaza, which requires immediate action to ensure the protection of civilians and the provision of food and medical supplies, which is the position of the 26 EU member states of the Foreign Affairs Council, as reflected in their joint statement.
Rumen Radev reiterated the need for concerted actions by the international community to resume the peace negotiation process between the two sides and to achieve a just and sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine based on the coexistence of two states in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions. The President also stressed that since the beginning of hostilities in the Middle East, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism have been on the rise worldwide, but this trend has not yet been visible in Bulgaria.
The diplomats called for specific actions by the international community for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for ensuring free access of humanitarian aid to the civilian population, as 1,500,000 people are facing a humanitarian catastrophe. They described Israel's disproportionate military response as genocide against the Palestinian people.
The ambassadors expressed their position on preventing the mass forced displacement of Palestinian refugees in neighbouring countries, which would lead to their destabilisation. The diplomatic representatives stressed that since the beginning of hostilities 39,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 14,600 children and about 9,000 women, and 70% of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, including schools, hospitals, religious shrines, UN centres, making it extremely difficult to restore living conditions. Therefore, real commitments are needed from the international community to establish the institutional building of an independent Palestinian state living in peace with Israel, in accordance with the decisions of the United Nations on the two-state solution to the crisis in the Middle East.