site.btaKristalina Georgieva: "I didn't go to New York to look for a job; I went on a mission for our region"

Kristalina Georgieva: "I didn't go to New York to look for a job; I went on a mission for our region"

Brussels, October 7 (BTA correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - Interviewed by BTA and Nova Television on Thursday, European Commission Vice President Kristalina Georgieva said: "I didn't go to New York to look for a job. I do have a job. I went on a mission for our region."

She added: "Antonio Guterres is an excellent diplomat, we have worked together, he will make an excellent UN Secretary-General."

"I was left with some bitter aftertaste as our region failed to take the place it is due," said Georgieva.

Following is the full text of the interview:

Q: Mrs Georgieva, how are you feeling today?

A: Full of energy and ready for work, as always.

Q: Did you lose, did Bulgaria lose in the developments at the UN?

A: Bulgaria's Prime Minister made a bold decision to give Eastern Europe one last chance to win this post. We saw that when he nominated me, several countries - Latvia, Hungary and Poland - backed him. The two candidates from Eastern Europe who withdrew also supported me. It is important to know that regional rotation has always been respected for 40 years. This is the first time when, in the end, Eastern Europe has to congratulate someone from outside the region. This is what I'm doing as well: Antonio Guterres is an excellent diplomat, we have worked together, he will make an excellent UN Secretary-General. Still, I was left with some bitter aftertaste as our region failed to take the place it is due.

Q: What lesson does this hold and why did this happen?

A: Perhaps the lesson is that the world is not ready yet for a woman Secretary-General.

Q: Is that all?

A: Analysing what happened, we East Europeans should probably think about the importance of seeking a consensus on an individual at an earlier stage. What's more important to me now is to look ahead and say that a European was elected, though not from our region, but still he is a European and a worthy candidate and we should wish him success.

Q: Have you noticed how the temperature on this issue went up, that there were personal accusations against you, even calls for your withdrawal. What is your comment?

A: I did the best one could do on such a short notice. Objective observers were unanimous that I was a worthy candidate and did well for myself and my country. The New York Times commented that I was tough competition for Antonio Guterres. I have no doubt about what we achieved: making it known that Bulgaria had fielded a strong candidate. I am thankful to the government for supporting me.

We were aware that we were taking a risk. I said I was not sure how far we could get for such a short time. Clearly, there was an agreement among the Security Council members, especially among the permanent members. This agreement was unable to alter at such a late stage.