site.btaUPDATED National Assembly Chair Zhelyazkov Confers with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Bulgaria has been providing military, humanitarian and political support to Ukraine since the start of the Russian aggression and will continue to do so for as long as necessary, National Assembly Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Wednesday, the Bulgarian Parliament said in a press release.

A Bulgarian delegation, led by Zhelyazkov, is visiting Ukraine at the invitation of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada [Parliament] of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk. The delegation includes Daniel Mitov, head the delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Stanislav Anastasov, head of the Permanent Delegation of the National Assembly to the OSCE PA, Chair of the Friendship group Bulgaria – Ukraine Ivaylo Mirchev.

Rosen Zhelyazkov reiterated that Bulgaria strongly condemns the Russian aggression in Ukraine. Bulgaria firmly rejects the ruthless Russian terror and the destruction of Ukraine's basic civilian infrastructure, he noted. In his words, Russia should respect its international obligations and unconditionally and immediately withdraw all its forces and military equipment from the territory of Ukraine.

Bulgaria has declared its full support for President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace formula and unconditionally supports the guiding principle that Ukraine alone has the sovereign right to determine when and how to engage in negotiations with the aggressor, Zhelyazkov said.

He noted that this principle is the best guarantee for the future peace that everyone seeks, which will strengthen European and global security based on the rules of international order. "It is vital to unite our efforts to respect the principles of the UN Charter on non-aggression and respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of all states," Rosen Zhelyazkov said.

Addressing the Bulgarian delegates, President Zelenskyy expressed his heartfelt thanks for Bulgaria's military-technical and humanitarian support. "Any support from Bulgaria is important for us, we will never forget what your country is doing," he said. "We are grateful to the Bulgarian people and to Government for the political support," Zelenskyy said, adding that while visiting Bulgaria, he came to realize that the Bulgarian people are siding with Ukraine and peace.

Bulgaria is among the strongest and most active supporters of Ukraine's European integration and its Euro-Atlantic perspective, Zhelyazkov said. "Our country welcomes the European Council's decision to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU," he said, adding that this is a geopolitical choice that has Bulgaria's full support. "We are convinced that Ukraine belongs to the European family," Rosen Zhelyazkov said. According to him, the future of Ukraine is at the core of the European security architecture and within NATO. An independent and sovereign Ukraine is of key importance for Euro-Atlantic security, said the Bulgarian Parliament's Chair, expressing Bulgaria's satisfaction with the signing of the Joint Declaration on Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration.

Bulgaria is deeply worried by the unprecedented military actions of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea region and in particular by the growing militarisation of the Crimean peninsula, Zhelyazkov said, adding that Bulgaria does not recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea.

Rosen Zhelyazkov recalled that on January 11, 2024 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the governments of Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkiye on the establishment of a Mine Counter-measures Task Group Black Sea, whose mission is intended solely for humanitarian purposes and to counter the threat of naval mines in the Black Sea, thus contributing to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.