site.btaPACE Closing Post-monitoring Dialogue with Bulgaria Shows Country's Progress in Strengthening Democracy, Says Parliament Chair

The conclusion of the long-standing post-monitoring dialogue with PACE is a constructive and objective assessment of the key reforms undertaken and the efforts made by the institutions in Bulgaria to achieve significant progress in strengthening democracy, the rule of law, and the protection of human rights, National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan said at a meeting with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Theodoros Rousopoulos. They met on the sidelines of the Fourth Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform in Stockholm, the National Assembly's press office reported on Monday.

Bulgarian parliamentarians highly value and are actively engaged in the Assembly's activities as a forum for discussing issues related to democracy, the rule of law, and human rights throughout Europe, Nazaryan noted, emphasizing that in the current period of geopolitical uncertainty, it is particularly important for PACE to contribute to strengthening democracy and preventing hybrid actions aimed at creating tension and division.

In her words, since the beginning of the unprovoked and unjustified full-scale military aggression by the Russian Federation, Bulgaria has consistently supported Ukraine in all dimensions – political, financial, military, humanitarian, and diplomatic. Bulgaria also contributes to strengthening freedom of navigation in the western waters of the Black Sea region and its overall security through the Mine Countermeasures Black Sea Task Group (MCM Black Sea), Nazaryan added.

In terms of regional energy security, Bulgaria is a leading country in the development of the Vertical Gas Corridor, an integrated north-south pipeline system connecting Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine, she said. Construction officially began in May 2025 in the southwestern town of Kresna, with the corridor expected to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplied by the US, Azerbaijan, and Egypt, the National Assembly Chair said. The project is expected to be fully completed in early 2026 and will contribute to reducing dependence on Russian natural gas, facilitating alternative transit routes and improving energy security throughout Eastern Europe, Nazaryan stressed.