site.btaDemocratic Bulgaria Urges President to Convene Council for National Security

Democratic Bulgaria has called on President Iliana Iotova to convene the Consultative Council for National Security (CCNS) to discuss the country's geopolitical risks and strategic geopolitical projects. This emerged during a briefing in the National Assembly by Ivaylo Mirchev, MP and co-chair of the Yes, Bulgaria! party, in response to the government's recent international positions and actions, including the Kyiv Declaration.

According to Mirchev, the declaration shows that Bulgaria is aligned with Ukraine and its international partners. "This is a positive development because Bulgaria has been on the right side. At the same time, it is problematic because the government's mixed messages create uncertainty for our international partners. When they expect security and predictability on NATO's eastern flank, they are receiving the opposite," he said.

Referring to geopolitical risks, national security, strategic projects, and the recent public discussion of tactical nuclear strikes, Mirchev urged President Iotova to convene the CCNS as soon as possible.

"This would allow all of us to receive information, discuss the geopolitical risks, and ensure that Bulgaria has a unified position and moves in the same direction," Mirchev said.

Bozhidar Bozhanov, co-chair of the Yes, Bulgaria! party, said that it is the president's constitutional responsibility to convene the Consultative Council for National Security  every few months, something that, according to him, has not happened for a long time.

According to Democratic Bulgaria, another reason to convene the CCNS is the appointment of Plamen Tonchev as chairman of the State Agency for National Security (SANS).

"Yesterday, he once again denied that he had been pressured to leave his previous post. Today, however, Prime Minister Radev said that such pressure had in fact existed," Bozhanov said.

He added that the key questions are whether there was pressure, on what grounds it was exerted, and whether GERB or Delyan Peevski had any leverage over Tonchev that could have forced him to step down as head of the agency.

"If that is the case, does it not pose a risk to the governance and independence of SANS going forward?" Bozhanov asked.

Earlier on Friday, Continue the Change  described Plamen Tonchev as "completely unsuitable" to serve as chairman of the State Agency for National Security.

MP Boyko Rashkov told reporters that it was "an absolute lie" that, during the 2021 investigation into several sections of the Hemus Motorway, SANS under Plamen Tonchev had provided information to investigators from the Ministry of Interior and the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime.

"Within just a few days, one to two million leva at a time were withdrawn from banks and carried away in sacks, suitcases, and bags. SANS provided no assistance whatsoever to the investigating police officers, despite the fact that a total of nine people were charged," Rashkov said.

He further claimed that "there is something that closely connects Plamen Tonchev with Prime Minister Radev," and argued that this was why Radev had begun "greatly exaggerating SANS's nonexistent achievements" during the Hemus Motorway investigation and attributing to the agency credit it did not deserve.