site.btaGERB: Bulgaria Joining Board of Peace in No Way Contradicts Common European Consensus

The decision for Bulgaria to join the Board of Peace in no way contradicts the current general European consensus, GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader Denitsa Sacheva told reporters on Thursday. She was commenting on the news that outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov had signed US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace initiative on behalf of Bulgaria in Davos earlier in the day.

"We will continue to be part of all decisions taken with regard to the European consensus, and outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov will be in Brussels tonight [Thursday], where he will also participate in the European Council," Sacheva told reporters. According to her, what has happened does not oppose the interests of Bulgaria, the EU, or the common interests in achieving lasting peace. "This is also an act that should be seen as supporting the idea that the Middle East should be a zone that is not a source of conflict, but rather one where we have the opportunity to influence the decisions that will be taken in this region of the world," Sacheva noted.

She underscored that the decision to join the Board of Peace was taken at Wednesday's Council of Ministers, with signatures. Outgoing Prime Minister Zhelyazkov has been authorized to join the Board on Thursday. "Let us not oppose whatever decisions will be made; we have enough time to convince everyone in the National Assembly that this is a decision that is good for Bulgaria," Sacheva insisted. Bulgaria's accession to the Board of Peace is subject to ratification by Parliament. 

A check shows that the official list of Council of Ministers decisions published by the Government Information Service on Wednesday does not mention the Board of Peace. The only information regarding the outgoing Prime Minister's presence in Davos came from the Foreign Ministry, which Wednesday said that he was leading a Bulgarian delegation to the World Economic Forum.

According to Sacheva, it is important for Bulgaria to make decisions and have its say on security issues because it is a country that must participate in these decisions, not just be part of their implementation. "We are a border zone in terms of security, the Middle East, and migration, and as such we continue to fulfill our commitments conscientiously and responsibly, which in no way contradicts the interests of the European Union," said the GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader. "We did not join the Board to create situations that are unfavourable for Bulgaria; on the contrary, we joined the initiative so that we can be where we can actively participate and express our position," she added.

Asked how the decision to join the Board of Peace was made, and by an outgoing government at that, Sacheva said: "You may not have expected us to announce the date on which these events would take place, nor to change the date of the invitation. I think that another politician was focusing so much on the dates; we are focusing on the content."

There is no EU position stating that a Member State should not participate in international formats related to dialogue and express the country's position, she argued. "The characteristics of what the tasks and goals will be are changing very dynamically at the moment. I believe that Bulgaria's role as a mediator, a bridge country, in no way undermines our national interests," Sacheva noted.