President Rosen Plevneliev said in Berlin that the EU member states must work to come up with a unified position on the crisis in Ukraine. “Currently debates are held on all levels and I think that the European leaders are willing to reach consensus in the diplomatic sphere and to contribute to a peaceful and democratic solution to the crisis. This means that not only Russia, but also the European Union should guarantee the Ukrainian people the chance to conduct elections and, if necessary, a referendum,” the Head of State commented after holding a meeting with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, foreign minister of Germany. The Head of State is on a working visit to Germany to mark the Day of Europe – 9 May.
In reply to a journalist’s question, the President did not rule out the possibility for imposing new sanctions against the Russian Federation. “We still have serious concerns over the fact that Russia fails to pool efforts to ease the tension and the EU must be ready to show character and unity so as to help Ukraine bottom out of the crisis in a manner based on the rule of law, not the rule of force,” Rosen Plevneliev said.
The President said that the sign of goodwill shown by President Putin, who called on for postponing the referendum in the Donetsk region, is a “good beginning.” “Although we are cherishing hope, we are still far away from being sure that the EU and the European leaders will be calm that Russia is resuming the normal, predictable manner of action, which we have observed in the past 25 years. Unfortunately, the events that took place in Crimea are a precedent and the lost trust must be restored,” Plevneliev added.
President Rosen Plevneliev and Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed the situation in Southeast Europe, the priorities set in the European financial framework until 2020 for Bulgaria, as well as the upcoming elections for European Parliament.
The two voiced their concern over the growing anti-European agenda in the context of the elections for European Parliament and emphasized the necessity to strengthen the integration processes in the European Union. “I clearly raised the issue of the EU enlargement toward the Western Balkan countries. Not only the EU, but also the NATO partners should show a strong and prompt sign to the Western Balkan countries. We should head toward a speeded up integration and motivate the leaders of those countries to conduct the necessary reforms,” Rosen Plevneliev emphasized. The President added that Bulgaria is an important factor in these processes and that they discussed together with the German Foreign Minister efficient steps in support of the pro-European and integration processes in Southeast Europe.
The German side is closely watching the implementation of South Stream and the debates regarding its compatibility with the requirements set by the Third EU liberalization energy package. “We should be aware that they will judge us by our deeds – what law will the Bulgarian Parliament approve, whether it will be in line with the European legislation or whether we will try to circumvent it,” the President said.
“It is really high time that Bulgaria built gas interconnectors with Romania, Serbia, Greece and Turkey so that we can be less concerned if someone decides to stop the gas supplies once again,” Rosen Plevneliev commented after the meeting he held with the German foreign minister.
During his visit to Berlin the President held talks with MPs from the foreign affairs commission at the Bundestag, with MPs Hans-Peter Uhl and Gernot Erler, as well as with Christoph Heusgen, foreign policy adviser of the Federal Chancellor and director general of foreign policy issues and security and development policies.
Later today the Head of State will visit Stuttgart where he will hold a meeting with Winfried Kretschmann, prime minister of Baden-Wurttemberg. At 7 o’clock p.m. local time President Rosen Plevneliev will deliver a lecture on the topic “Why do we benefit from Europe – the vision of a new member state.”