In a Facebook post published on Friday, President Iliana Iotova addressed media reports that she had signed a joint statement on Ukraine following an expanded UN Security Council meeting on the issue on Wednesday. Iotova reported that she did not sign the statement.
The president wrote: “[The statement] was sent to all UN Member States before the session in New York. Bulgaria had no opportunity to express reservations about the position presented, nor were the proposed amendments accepted. For this reason, I did not attend the expanded meeting of the Council, as evidenced by my absence from the group photo afterwards.”
Iotova reiterated her position that there is no military solution for Ukraine, and peace cannot be achieved without the participation of Ukraine and Russia.
In a written statement on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said that Bulgaria supports European unity and, in this regard, has endorsed the declaration on Ukraine published by the UN. At the same time, the Ministry emphasized that Bulgaria’s national position was not fully reflected in the declaration. Bulgaria’s position was presented by Iotova in her remarks during the general political debate, the Foreign Ministry said.
Bulgaria’s ruling party, Progressive Bulgaria (PB), backed Iotova over Bulgaria’s position. PB MP Anton Kutev said that the Bulgarian side tried to express reservations, but the procedural rules did not allow it.
In Parliament, PB rejected on two consecutive votes a proposal by Democratic Bulgaria (DB) to include on the agenda a hearing of the Foreign Minister or the relevant Deputy Foreign Minister regarding the situation.
GERB-UDF called in a declaration on Friday on the parliamentary majority to reconsider its decision and allow a representative of the Foreign Ministry to be heard regarding the UN declaration on Ukraine and Bulgaria’s position. GERB-UDF MP and former foreign minister Georg Georgiev said that “something unpleasant” had happened, which would now turn into a scandal for weeks to come. In an address to PB, Georgiev said: “The worst possible strategy, the biggest political mistake that can be made, is to hide an issue, sweep it under the carpet, or use the strength of the majority to prevent the chamber from discussing it. That is what you have just done.”
The opposition party DB attacked the power-holders over the perceived divergence between Iotova and the Foreign Ministry. DB Floor Leader Nadejda Iordanova told reporters: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, have said that Bulgaria has joined the UN statement on Ukraine. President Iliana Iotova says that Bulgaria has not joined it. This situation is absurd; two institutions in Bulgaria cannot put forward contradictory statements on what exactly the country’s position on this issue is.”
DB stated that this divergence tarnishes Bulgaria’s name. Iordanova described that case as a major scandal and a disgrace for Bulgaria and added: “We will insist that it be clarified whether President Iotova believes that Kaja Kallas is lying.”
Continue the Change (CC) Floor Leader Nikolay Denkov told reporters that Iotova’s position on the matter contradicts the Foreign Ministry’s position. He said that such differences damage Bulgaria’s credibility and called for greater consistency in the country’s foreign policy.