site.btaDSB Suggests Bulgaria Join French Nuclear Umbrella Initiative, Idea Meets Pushback from Some Parties in Parliament

Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) of the Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) coalition said Friday that it is in Bulgaria's best interests to join a French initiative for an extended nuclear umbrella to include more EU countries in it. Two parties reacted to the idea, one dismissing it and the other questioning it.

Speaking to reporters in parliament, DSB leader Atanas Atanassov and MEP Radan Kanev urged President Iliana Iotova to hold a meeting of the Consultative Council for National Security to discuss the initiative of French President Macron and see if Bulgaria has an interest in joining. "We at DSB believe that it is in everybody's best interest to see this defence initiative reach all the way to the Black Sea," he said. He added that in the present situation of unprecedented insecurity with the wars in Ukraine and Iran, Bulgaria is "certainly very much interested in gaining such unconditional security guarantee". "We believe it is appropriate to convene a meeting of the Consultative Council on National Security, for this discussion to be held with representatives of all political forces, to seek a national consensus on the issue, and for the topic of national security to be taken out of the election campaign," said Radan Kanev.

DSB believe it would be appropriate for the coalition of former President Rumen Radev to also be invited to the National Security Council meeting as it is widely seen as a sure factor in the next Parliament.

DSB doesn't think that Bulgaria risks becoming a target by joining the nuclear defence initiative.

Speaking in Parliament's lobby on Friday, There Is Such a People (TISP) Floor Leader Toshko Yordanov questioned that. Also, he said that Radev's coalition can't be part of the Consultative Council on National Security. "Radev’s political entity cannot attend the CCNS because only parties currently represented in Parliament participate," Yordanov said.

The chair of the parliamentary defence committee, Hristo Gadjev (GERB-UDF), had a harsh reaction to DSB's idea. In a Facebook post, Gadjev blamed CC-DB of seeking a distraction from "the outrageousness of the Gurov cabinet" and finding one in the extended nuclear umbrella. Gadjev argues that it would be "unacceptable for Bulgaria" to join the project.