site.btaPresident Blisters Government over Its Criticism against Him

Sofia, April 25 (BTA) - President Rumen Radev Wednesday slammed the government for its criticism against him. Speaking to the press after participating in a conference on the occasion of the20th anniversary of the dir.bg news website, he said the exchange of critical remarks with the government was "no neighbourhood skirmish" to him. "Some politicians are waging a war on Bulgarian statehood," he told the press.

The President's remarks came in response to a reporter's question about whether the tension between the institutions has subsided.

The ruling party - more particularly GERB deputy leader Tsvetan Tsvetanov - has repeatedly been accusing the President of tryingto question Bulgaria's chosen path of Euro-Atlanticism.

Radev said it is a "well-scripted campaign and it has not been the first one". "In their attempt to smear the Presidential institution, these people put at stake the European orientation of Bulgaria - and this happens in the middle of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council," said he.

Asked who "these people" are, he said: "The ones you asked me about".

"They are trying to privatize the European idea for their personal political goals. But what is the value of their
Euro-Atlantic oaths of allegiance after they have been ruining the armed forces and are misleading the allies? And what Europeans are politicians who have allowed for corruption, poverty and injustice to be splashed right next to Bulgaria's name, and for this country to be kicked out of the European map of free media!" an indignant Radev said. He went on to say that Bulgarian corruption has become visible across the Atlantic and is mentioned in the a US State Department report.

"How do we expect to be admitted to the Schengen [border-free area] and the euro-zone when the government is saying all the time that there is no concensus about Bulgaria's European orientation! The more oaths of allegiance in Euro-Atlanticism they take, the farther away they take us from Europe."

Radev also dwelled on problems of the media and web environment in Bulgaria. He said that information today is the most abundant commodity but often one in the greatest shortage when timely, true and useful information is concerned. "The truth now is drowning in a sea of fake information, speed takes precedence over faithfulness, words lose to images, and any charlatan can easily hire an army of near illiterate trolls to discredit ideas and people," Radev said.