site.btaUPDATED PM Denkov: There Are Constant Provocations from President

There are constant provocations from the presidential institution, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said here Friday. Speaking at Sofia airport after returning from a visit to Romania, he was asked to comment the interaction between the Presidency and the Council of Ministers considering the frictions between them.

"I will not get into that [President’s] tone," Denkov said. "I have always said that institutions should show respect for each other," he added.

Attacking the government again on Friday, President Rumen Radev said that they appear to lack their own policy when it comes to foreign affairs and the war in Ukraine. Denkov said the President used Moscow’s talking points.

He read out several quotes from the Madrid Declaration of 29 June 2022: "Russia must immediately stop this war and withdraw from Ukraine"; "We stand in full solidarity with the government and the people of Ukraine in the heroic defence of their country"; "We reiterate our unwaivering support for Ukraine’s independence and territorial within its internationally recognized borders extending to its territorial waters. "; "The Russian Federation is the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area."

"My question is, when does our President had his own opinion: when he signed these texts [in the Declaration] or when today he repeated some Russian talking points that have nothing to do with what the EU and NATO members present as their position," Denkov said. He added that the Bulgarian national interest is to see the war stop by Russia withdrawing its troops from Ukraine, by Ukraine becoming a NATO member and by Bulgaria building up its defence capacity in full compliance with the regional plans that NATO adopted in Vilnius. 

Asked to comment on President Rumen Radev's words on Friday that “Ukraine insists on fighting this war”, Denkov said, "On the contrary, the one who insists on fighting this war is the circle around Putin. They started this war. I say again: the quickest way to stop this war is for this same circle to call on their troops to get out."