site.btaVMRO Leader Karakachanov Lashes at "Systematic Pressure on Bulgaria"

September 18 (BTA) - Deputy Prime Minister Krassimir Karakachanov, who is Defence Minister and leader of the power-sharing VMRO party, said in a Facebook post: "Systematic pressure is being exerted by all ways and means on Bulgaria as a nation State, on Christianity in this country as a millennium-old value system, and on the Bulgarian national institutions as the only barrier to the imposition of anti-national and anti-Christian values, norms and practices."

Karakachanov's position, quoted by his party's press office, comes two days after the media published 29 questions put to the Bulgarian authorities by the Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group (DRFMG), which is part of the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). The Committee held an in-camera meeting on the situation in Bulgaria in late August, which was not attended by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov or Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev.

Karakachanov said: "It was reported recently that the DRFMG with LIBE asked questions in a letter to the Bulgarian government. It came after an in-camera hearing of a few non-governmental organizations of notoriety in this country, again including the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee."

"The officially announced pretext for the meeting was 'the fight against corruption' as requested by those NGOs. It turned out, however, that 'the fight against corruption' served as a smokescreen for raising once again the question of 'the rights of LGBTI people', 'Roma-people' and 'the Macedonian-Bulgarian minority'," said Karakachanov.

Some of the questions asked are "Why would the Bulgarian government not counter misrepresentations of the Istanbul Convention, and rather work towards the protection of women by ratifying the Convention?" and about "the rights of Australian citizen" Jock Palfreeman. All questions are used to exert pressure on Bulgaria, according to Karakachanov.

He argued that concern about "the fight against corruption" - an undoubtedly sensitive social issue - is used as a smokescreen for an attempt to legalize non-existent ethnic and all kinds of other minorities and same-sex marriage and to undermine the Bulgarian traditions and values.

"In my capacity as the VMRO Chairman, I firmly declare that the political party I lead will oppose categorically any form of pressure on Bulgaria and any attempt to erode our national identity, weaken the Christian values and break up the traditional family of a man and a woman," Karakachanov said. NV/DD



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