site.btaBulgaria, EU Oppose Reinstatement of Capital Punishment in Turkey

Bulgaria, EU Oppose Reinstatement of Capital Punishment in Turkey

Brussels, July 18 (BTA) - "We stand by the view that the rule of law and observing normal democratic EU practices should be predominant in the reactions of the Turkish authorities," Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov told Bulgarian media in Brussels, where he is taking part in a EU foreign affairs council.

The Minister called against a spiral of violence and the reinstatemenmt of practices rejected by the EU such as the death penalty. "We won't accept the reinstatement of such measure by all means," said Mitov.

He said developments in Turkey are being assessed and all reactions should be rational and devoid of emotion. "For the EU and Bulgaria in particular it is very important that Turkey continues to honour its commitments under its readmission agreement with the EU," the minister said. The Bulgarian government has taken every precaution in order to prepare for any surprises and it continues to cooperate with the Turkish authorities and the Turkish border police. "There is no cause for concern as there is no increased migration pressure at the moment," said Mitov.

He confirmed that he had ordered Bulgarian ambassador in Turkey Nadezhda Neynski to refrain from making any statements on the night of the coup attempt in Turkey. The Foreign Ministry collected all the information and then released it to the media and gave instructions to Bulgarian citizens. "For us it was important to take care of the Bulgarian citizens in Turkey that could find themselves in distress," said Mitov.

"The job of the ambassador was to coordinate and follow developments. Any public statements by the ambassador or the consul general could have been misinterpreted and posed a threat to the life and wellbeing of diplomatic staff and Bulgarian citizens in Turkey. This is the practice in such situations," said Mitov.