site.btaPresident Radev: Bulgaria Supports Any Initiative Seeking to Bring Peace in Middle East

Meeting with the ambassadors of Arab countries in Bulgaria, President Rumen Radev expressed concern over the security environment in the Middle East and said Bulgaria backs any initiative aiming to restore peace in the region, the President's Press Secretariat said on Thursday. Bulgaria is concerned by the heightened risk of escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas into a regional conflict, said the President.

The meeting was held on the initiative of the diplomatic representatives of the Arab countries accredited in Bulgaria.

President Radev underscored the traditional friendly relations between Bulgaria and a number of Arab countries, resulting in the sending of thousands of Bulgarian doctors, engineers, medical and technical specialists to Arab countries, and in the training of tens of thousands of Arab students in Bulgarian universities.

He called for support from the Arab countries in the efforts to free the Bulgarian sailors on the detained ship Galaxy Leader.

The President spoke about the global impact of the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East. "That is why Bulgaria is ready to support any proposal for a cessation of hostilities, de-escalation and a search for a solution to restore peace," he said.

He reiterated Bulgaria's principled position against all forms of terrorism and people's right to fight against them in compliance with international law. At the same time, Radev expressed strong concern over the critical humanitarian situation in Gaza and said it requires immediate action to ensure the protection of civilians and the provision of food and medical supplies.

President Radev reiterated the need for joint action by the international community to resume the peace process between the two sides and to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israel and Palestine on the basis of the coexistence of two states in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. He also stressed that since the beginning of hostilities in the Middle East, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism have been on the rise worldwide while not being yet visible in Bulgaria.

The attending diplomatic representatives called for concrete action by the international community to bring about an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and ensure free access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population, as 1,500,000 people face a humanitarian catastrophe. They described Israel's disproportionate military response as "genocide against the Palestinian people".

The ambassadors called against allowing large-scale forced displacement of Palestinian refugees to neighbouring countries, as it would lead to their destabilization. They said that the conflict has killed 39,000 Palestinians, including 14,600 children and some 9,000 women, and 70% of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed.