site.btaPM Radev Says He Would Not Suspend Agreement with Ukraine, But Implementation Depends on Cabinet's Political Will

During Question Time in Parliament on Friday, Prime Minister Rumen Radev denied having ever said that he would suspend the agreement that caretaker prime minister Andrey Gurov signed with Ukraine. "I said it was an irrational and poor decision,” he added. He was replying to a question by Tsoncho Ganev MP of Vazrazhdane about the EUR 17 million allocated in the budget to support Ukraine and the deepening of the Port of Varna for military purposes.  

“There is not a single lie or unfulfilled promise on our part,” the Prime Minister went on to say. He explained that the EUR 17 million for Ukraine had been approved and allocated by the caretaker government. “That money has already been transferred there,” Radev added. 

The Prime Minister pointed out that the agreement with Ukraine is full of vague wording: “to examine the possibility of doing such-and-such, to explore the options, and to see if it is feasible.” “I said it very clearly: it is not possible,” Radev added. “As long as we are in power, none of these things will be carried out, because the agreement leaves room for possibility, and it depends on our political will whether we take action or not,” Radev said. “Our political will is very clear in this case, but as a civilized country, we will not suspend agreements; how we implement them is a matter of our right,” he added.   

On the dredging of Port of Varna, Radev said that over BGN 1 billion have already been paid for the two new multifunctional patrol ships. If we do not dredge the port, they cannot enter it, they cannot be used, and all the necessary equipment cannot be integrated. 

On relations with Russia, Radev said that he was in a conciliatory mood and would not respond to Vazrazhdane's speculation. “But it is a fact that, following the interview I gave a few days ago to Euronews, you saw the reaction from the Russian side - that this was welcomed. Mr. [Dmitry] Peskov also said that they specifically welcome the return to reason and the resumption of dialogue, and that they welcome the Bulgarian Prime Minister, not Tsoncho Ganev of Vazrazhdane,” Radev stated. 

In response, Ganev commented that Kremlin Spokesperson Peskov had clearly and precisely stated that Russia had heard such timid statements before, but they never became reality.