site.btaBulgaria to Attend First Board of Peace Meeting

Bulgaria will be represented at the first meeting of the Board of Peace established on the initiative of US President Donald Trump. This transpired from remarks by outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov on Friday to the press in Munich, where he is attending the Munich Security Conference, the government information service said.

In response to a journalist’s question, Zhelyazkov said that Bulgaria has expressed its readiness to take an active part in the reconstruction of Gaza. “The Middle East is a place where the peace process is extremely important for Bulgaria’s national security,” the Prime Minister added. He confirmed that Bulgaria will be represented at the first meeting of the Board of Peace, the government press office said.

Zhelyazkov said that Bulgaria has expressed its readiness to take an active part in the reconstruction of Gaza and maintains balanced relations with both Israel and Palestine. He added that he had spoken with Nickolay Mladenov of the Gaza Peace Board about the situation in the region.

On January 22, Bulgaria joined the Board of Peace, after the outgoing government mandated Prime Minister Zhelyazkov to sign the document for establishing the US-led initiative in Davos. It outraged the opposition, which saw the swift accession as a breach of EU’s common policy. The government subsequently said it would leave the ratification of Bulgaria’s membership to the next National Assembly and would not submit the document to the current legislature.

The first Board of Peace meeting is reportedly due on February 19.