site.btaParliament Votes Down Left's Draft Resolution to Lift Sanctions against Russia

March 4 (BTA) - Parliament Wednesday voted down a draft
resolution moved by BSP for Bulgaria on lifting the EU sanctions
 against Russia. The motion was rejected by a vote of 60
against, 51 abstentions and 82 in favour.

The draft document was backed by the MPs of BSP for Bulgaria,
four independents from the Ataka party, one MP of the United
Patriots and seven MPs of Volya - The Bulgarian Patriots. The
votes against came from 51 MPs of GERB and nine of the Movement
for Rights and Freedoms. Those who abstained were 37 MPs of GERB
 and 14 of the United Patriots.

Besides calling for the lifting of the EU sanctions, the draft
resolution assigned the National Assembly Chairperson to inform
the European Parliament and the legislatures of the EU Member
States of the decision.

Anton Koutev (BSP for Bulgaria), who presented the motion,
stressed that the adoption of the document would not entail
commitments for the Bulgarian government and that more than 60
per cent of Bulgarians also want the sanctions against Russia
lifted. The Left described the sanctions against Russia as
"ineffective", and the independents from the Ataka party
concurred with them.

Plamen Manoushev (GERB) argued that while the sanctions concern
150 natural and 45 juristic persons, no one said anything about
Russia's countersanctions of 2014, which affect Bulgarian
producers of foods and fresh products. "Significantly, in 2016
Russia's former prime minister Medvedev urged against lifting
them," said Vice Admiral Manoushev, asking why Parliament did
not call for the lifting of the Russian countersanctions.

Toma Bikov (GERB) commented that the draft resolution was more
consistent with the agenda of the Bulgarian Socialist Party
(BSP) than with Bulgaria's agenda. "The problem is you do not
suggest anything, you have embarked on your campaign, you want
to state your position on Russia - obviously, this is a very
important topic in your party," he said.

Bikov added: "Why today? Why not at the time of the caretaker
government appointed by [President] Radev [in 2017] when the
sanctions were extended? At that time the debate could have
taken place at government level and in the EU Council whose
meetings were attended by President Radev." NV/DD