site.btaPresident Radev Calls for "Fewer Weapons, More Dialogue" for Syria

Sofia, April 16 (BTA) - In a discussion after his public lecture at Sofia's University of National and World Economy on Monday, President Rumen Radev called for "fewer weapons and more dialogue" for Syria. He was asked to comment on the Syria strikes by the US, the UK and France on April 14.

Radev delivered a lecture on the challenges and prospects for Bulgaria's social and economic development, as part of the opening of a Youth Economic Forum 2018 at the University of National and World Economy.

In Radev's words, weapons are controlled by people, with their emotions and fears, and a single loss of temper or a single mistake could lead people to the edge of a direct clash.

According to him, the military effect of the Syria strikes was neglectable, the financial one - the loss of half a billion dollars - and the political effect was mostly internal for the countries that carried them out. However, the main effect lied with the United Nations: this operation proves that the UN is neglected ever more often, and for now no one can replace this organization. This increases the risk for the world instead of reducing it, he added.

Asked whether he plans to create a political party, Radev said that the head of State is a president of all Bulgarians and cannot establish political parties. "However, if people's disappointment in the political status quo continues to grow, we will witness the creation of new parties. And I will understand Bulgarian citizens," he specified.

Asked whether the Government's position on the Syria strikes had been coordinated with him and whether Bulgaria's partners had informed the State in advance, Radev answered negatively. "The Defence Information Service and the State Intelligence Agency did their job, they managed to inform us most of all about our citizens in Syria," he added.

Asked whether Bulgaria's partners not having informed this country about the strikes means lack of trust, Radev said: "Draw your own conclusions. This is not a matter of trust. According to me, this shows clearly which country has what military capacity."

Asked about details on the Consultative Council for National Security (CCNS) scheduled for April 19, the President said he expects the meeting to yet again shed light on the measures that Bulgaria has taken to neutralize the security risks and threats. He recalled that almost a year ago the CCNS discussed specific decisions on building the necessary defence capabilities, on modernizing the army and on increasing the status of service members. "I want to hear answers to what has to be done for these decisions to be carried out," Radev added.

The head of State went on to say that the CCNS will review the situation not only in Syria but also in the Balkans.

Asked whether this is the appropriate time for his planned visit to Russia, given the hardening position of the EU and NATO on the Skripal case and the use of chemical weapons in Syria, Radev said that Bulgaria's cultural, world and civilizational contribution cannot become hostage to political confrontation. "It is precisely at times of confrontation that we should maintain the dialogue, seek common interests in the fight against terrorism and ways to reduce tension. In this relation, I think that the dialogue and the channels for it should be preserved," he argued.

The head of State went on to say that the exact dates of his visit to Moscow are being specified but for now these are May 21 and 22.The Russian President's visit to Bulgaria has been discussed only on principle, and at present there are no exact periods and dates for it, Radev noted.

During his public lecture, Radev compared the country to a building site which is bustling with activity but nothing can be seen because it is dark.

"It is high time we turned on the projector lights and shed light on processes in Bulgaria so that we have transparent ownership and governance decisions," said the President.

According to him, the judiciary has the last chance to restore trust in the institution and in the state by relentlessly chasing thieves, the corrupt and those who violate the law regardless of whether they are from the incumbent, the opposition or the very ranks of the judiciary.

"We can set ourselves an end goal to eradicate poverty, overcome the demographic crisis, stop depopulation, lure back Bulgarians from abroad, become a rich country. To me the end goal is important but equally important is the mechanism by which we'll accomplish that and this involves high sustainable economic growth, an increasing share of innovations and high value added industries with a focus on competitiveness," said the head of State.

The mortality rate, the migration of the young, poverty, low pensions, conventional crime and corruption were among the problems in Bulgaria outlined by the president in his lecture.

Also, Radev said that legislation was changed often and sometimes chaotically and this created unpredictability and instability of the legal framework which impacted negatively the business environment.