site.btaBulgaria's Foreign Policy Is Fully Anchored in EU, NATO, Foreign Minister Petrova Says

Bulgaria has clearly demonstrated that its foreign policy is fully anchored in the European Union (EU) and NATO, and there should be no doubt about that, Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova said in an interview with Nova TV on Sunday.

At the same time, after 20 years of EU membership, Bulgaria should recognize that it cannot afford simply to follow one major power or another without question, she said. It is time for the country to pursue a foreign policy that is not driven by an inferiority complex about being one of the EU's smaller Member States, nor by inertia or symbolic gestures, but by initiative, Petrova added.

Turning to the so-called Kyiv Declaration, the Foreign Minister reiterated that "nothing was signed in Kyiv". She said such declarations are routinely adopted in various informal formats and do not entail binding commitments. According to Petrova, only decisions taken within the framework of the EU and NATO involve commitments to further action.

Commenting on the "Coalition of the Willing", Petrova again said Bulgaria had undertaken no commitment to participate. She noted that the coalition is intended primarily for the period following the conclusion of a peace agreement. Bulgaria has so far participated through its presence at meetings but has made no other substantive commitment, she said.

Petrova argued that, in the past, Bulgarian foreign policy had often been shaped by considerations of how to please one country or another or by consultations with foreign partners. What has changed, she said, is that Bulgaria's foreign policy is now determined on the basis of the country's national interests.

"Everyone wants peace," Petrova said. She argued that several complementary approaches are needed to achieve it: support for Ukraine, effective economic measures to encourage Russia to come to the negotiating table, and diplomacy. Different countries choose to focus on different aspects of this effort, she said, adding that Bulgaria has made diplomacy its main priority because it believes this is the area receiving the least attention. Petrova reiterated that Bulgaria could play a key role in Ukraine's energy security.

Asked whether Crimea belongs to Ukraine, Petrova said the primary consideration is international law. Bulgaria has consistently supported the position that, under international law, Crimea is part of Ukraine. At the same time, she noted that, given the ongoing violation of international law, "it is clear who currently exercises control over the peninsula".

Commenting on Bulgaria's reservations regarding the EU's 21st sanctions package against Russia and its request that Iskander Mahmudov, chairman of the consortium supplying spare parts for Sofia Metro trains, not be included in the sanctions list, Petrova said that the derogation granted to the company would cease to apply if he were sanctioned.