site.btaVazrazhdane: Credit for Dropping Russian Patriarch from Sanctions Package Should Go to the Vatican

In a declaration read from the parliamentary rostrum on Wednesday, Vazrazhdane MP Angel Georgiev said that while propaganda in Bulgaria is trying to give all the credit for the removal of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow from the 21st package of sanctions against Russia as an entirely Bulgarian achievement, there is almost no mention of the fact that this was made possible by the Vatican's firm stance, supported by Italy, which drew a clear line between geopolitics and religious institutions.

Georgiev stated: "Without Italy's firm stance, the ouster of Patriarch Kirill [from the package of sanctions] would not have been achieved by Bulgaria's toothless, ineffective diplomacy." The MP accused Prime Minister Rumen Radev of lying to his electorate, when he said that he will strive for the normalization of relations with Russia.

The declaration read: "Despite the stated policy of rapprochement with Russia before the elections, after the elections we see that Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova is in Kyiv to curry favour and fulfil every possible request. It is expected that specific measures to strengthen Ukraine's energy security will be discussed in Kyiv, including options for increasing natural gas transit through Bulgaria during the upcoming winter season."

On June 19, Vazrazhdane MP Tsoncho Ganev told reporters that vetoing sanctions against the Russian Patriarch, as well as the entire sanctions package affecting Bulgaria's economic interests, is "the right thing to do".