July 1 () –
The President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, has branded this Thursday as “unacceptable” the decision of the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Kiril Petkov, and his Executive to declare 70 Russian diplomats “persona non grata”, inviting them to leave the country.
“It is unacceptable to be left without diplomatic representation. It is unacceptable that decisions related to Bulgaria’s security do not take into account the risks of escalation and its economic consequences,” the Bulgarian head of state said in a statement shared on his Facebook profile.
Radev has urged Petkov to convene a meeting of the Council of Ministers to assess “the consequences of the escalation of the crisis in bilateral relations”, and to make a decision “in compliance with all legal procedures”.
Last Tuesday, the Bulgarian authorities declared a total of 70 Russian diplomats persona non grata, for whom a plane has even been arranged that would deport them directly to Moscow at the end of this week.
Petkov argued the decision based on the fact that the representatives of the Russian Embassy in Sofia had been identified “as members of the special services”, according to the Russian agency TASS.
However, despite ordering his expulsion before Sunday, Petkov considers that the measure against diplomats and representatives of the Embassy’s technical staff “does not constitute an aggression against the Russian people.”
Faced with this scenario, the Bulgarian president recalled that “responsibility for the decision lies entirely with the Government”, and stressed that such a decision should be in line “with the challenges facing national security and the long-term interests of Bulgaria and the thousands of Bulgarian citizens living in Russia”.
RUSSIA IS STUDYING CUTTING RELATIONS WITH BULGARIA
In response to the decision of the Bulgarian Executive, the Russian ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, assured this Thursday that Moscow is studying the possibility of cutting diplomatic relations with Sofia.
“I am in contact with Moscow. And Moscow will take very drastic measures. This cannot go unnoticed,” acknowledged the Russian ambassador, who has warned that “diplomatic relations may even be broken.”
Mitrofanova has shown her disbelief at the decision adopted by the Bulgarian Executive, since she considers that in order to expel part of the diplomatic legation of a country, there must be evidence that these people really threaten the interests of the country.
“If there is evidence, then, of course, expel them. But 70 people, why? What does it mean against the interests of Bulgaria,” said the Russian diplomatic representative in Sofia.
The Bulgarian Parliament carried out a motion of censure against Kiril Petkov’s Executive a week ago, which has led to the Bulgarian President, Rumen Radev, starting a consultation process with the parliamentary groups on Monday to establish a new government.
In this context, Zajarova criticized that a Parliament “that has lost confidence” and a Government “that is withdrawing”, have adopted the decision to expel Russian diplomats, something that, she warns, “deals a devastating blow to relations with Russia ” and to the bilateral dialogue.
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