site.btaPM Radev: Strategic Awakening Should Begin with Negotiation Efforts for Restoring Peace in Europe

Addressing the Council of Ministers here on Wednesday, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said: "The strategic awakening must begin with negotiation efforts to restore peace in Europe and establish a new, sustainable, and effective security system." According to him, this was also the rationale behind Bulgaria’s decision not to participate in the consultations of the informal Coalition of the Willing in Paris on Tuesday. 

Radev said that this week, Bulgaria had contributed to the shaping of European foreign policy. According to the Prime Minister, Brussels has respected the country’s reservations regarding the inclusion of three individuals in the 21st package of EU sanctions against Russia: the Russian Patriarch, Lukoil owner Vagit Alekperov, and the head of the consortium that supplies the Sofia underground railway system with spare parts. “This is not about individuals, but about Bulgaria defending its interests in the fields of energy and transportation, just like other EU Member States do,” Radev noted.

According to him, religion should not be entangled in political conflicts, especially when a war is being waged in Europe. “Any decision that contributes to de-escalation is a contribution to the peace that all decent people in both the West and the East desire,” he added.