site.bta PM Borissov Urges EU to Coordinate Russia Sanction Extension with US, Calls on Syria Players to Ensure Corridor for Peaceful Civilians

PM Borissov Urges EU to Coordinate Russia Sanction Extension with US, Calls on Syria Players to Ensure
Corridor for Peaceful Civilians

Brussels, December 15 (BTA correspondent Nickolay Jeliazkov) - Commenting the likely extension of EU's Russia sanctions by a half-year, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said he had urged his counterparts of the EU member states to coordinate the sanctions with the US. "I said it will be bad for Europe if the sanction extension is not synchronized with the US when the new US President takes office," Borissov said late on Thursday.

Borissov believes that the EU should discuss the Russia sanctions with the US in advance to make sure Europe is not the only one imposing sanctions. He said that Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande are staunch supporters of sanctions due to the failure to implement the Minsk agreement. "Bulgaria observes strictly the sanctions despite the losses of hundreds of millions of euro. It would be great for the EU and NATO to act the same way," he said.

The Bulgarian government leader also called upon the leaders of the countries involved in Syria to ensure a corridor for the peaceful civilians in Aleppo and step up the efforts towards a solution to the Syria crisis. "This will be an additional risk for Bulgaria because the route of the people fleeing the horrors and destruction goes through Bulgaria or Greece," he said.

"When we are discussing Syria, I would not be talking of Russia only," he said - and went on to quote US President-elect Donald Trump as saying during a campaign debate that the US are responsible for the creation of the Islamic State. Borissov said that there are international organizations which can check the truthfulness of such a statement.