site.btaYes, Bulgaria! Calls for Boycott of Russian Prosecutor General Chaika's Visit to Bulgaria

Sofia, September 18 (BTA) - Yes, Bulgaria! activists placed a banner reading "Chaika Out of Europe" on a pedestrian overpass above Sofia's Tsarigradsko Chaussee Boulevard on Monday morning, the party said. The banner was removed shortly after that. The action was taken in protest against a forthcoming visit to Bulgaria by Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika.

A bilateral cooperation programme, covering reciprocal training of prosecutors and assistance in counter-terrorism, will be signed during Chaika's visit here, Bulgarian Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov said. "Each meeting of the guest will be open to the media, i.e. there will be press releases," Tsatsarov added.

Off the record, Chaika is due to arrive on Monday.

"This visit is emblematic of the process of intensifying erosion of democratic institutions, a strengthening of the corrupt 'deep state' and consolidation of authoritarian power practices. Bulgaria is humiliated to be not only a prosecutorial republic but to become yet again a 16th prosecutorial republic," Yes, Bulgaria! said in a declaration.

The party says that "Mr Chaika is not welcome on the territory of European Bulgaria and his reception in Bulgaria is not in our name. This is a disgraceful act which we must oppose."

Yes, Bulgaria! calls on all senior Bulgarian officials who are scheduled to confer with Russia's Prosecutor General to cancel the appointments.

Interviewed on bTV, Yes, Bulgaria! leader and former justice minister Hristo Ivanov described Chaika as "a rather frightful person" and supposed that he would bring a message because, as he put it, what is going on with Bulgaria's defence industry cannot possibly be unrelated to Russian interests.