site.btaOutgoing Foreign Minister Questions Outgoing President's Timing of Public Response to Invitation to Join Gaza Board of Peace

Outgoing Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev questioned outgoing President Rumen Radev over the timing of his public response to an invitation by US President Donald Trump to participate in his Gaza Board of Peace initiative, and over his perceived reluctance to take a clear stance on the initiative. Quoted by the Foreign Ministry press office on Wednesday, Georgiev argues that the invitation was formally sent on Sunday and received on Monday, and "three days later, against the backdrop of already known information about the Prime Minister’s participation in the Davos Forum, the President chose to announce its receipt without stating his position on its content".

Outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov is leading the Bulgarian delegation to the Annual Meeting 2026 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The delegation includes the outgoing Foreign Minister.

Georgiev noted in his remarks about President Radev that to date he has not clarified his position regarding the Gaza peace initiative, the presented 20-point plan, or other key issues on the current foreign policy agenda.

In his public response to the invitation, to quote his Press Secretariat, Radev "reviewed the current political situation in Bulgaria, marked by resignations submitted by the government following mass protests across the country, as well as his own resignation from the presidential office in order to engage directly in restoring statehood in Bulgaria, strengthening the rule of law, and rebuilding dialogue between institutions and citizens, and expressed his expectation that in the near future Bulgaria would have the necessary stable institutional environment to continue fruitful cooperation with the United States in the interest of joint efforts to preserve peace and security". 

According to the outgoing Foreign Minister, there are "legitimate questions about the reasons why Rumen Radev refrained from taking a clear position and assuming institutional responsibility, particularly given that over a nine-year period the President had not received invitations or participated in top-level events in Washington or the White House, and, when an invitation has been sent, he does not clearly present his intentions or commitment".

The outgoing Minister added that in a context of increased international dynamics and upcoming elections in Bulgaria, "issues on the international agenda require clear, responsible, and unequivocal positions".

Georgiev noted that Bulgarian citizens are entitled to clarity on their country’s stance, the positions it supports, the policies it implements, and the values and civilizational framework to which it belongs. He noted that over the past year Bulgaria completed key stages of its integration process, including full participation in Schengen and accession to the eurozone, which are strategic decisions with long-term significance, on which no public position has yet been expressed by the President.

"The Bulgarian Government, led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, will continue to fulfill its responsibilities under its constitutional mandate in a consistent and responsible manner, upholding Bulgaria’s European identity, its membership in the European Union, and its role as a reliable partner in the transatlantic space and an ally within NATO," the Foreign Ministry added.

Earlier in January, the Foreign Ministry put out a declaration hailing the launch of the second phase of the Gaza peace plan.