site.btaBulgaria to Hand Note of Protest to French Foreign Ministry over Statement by President Macron

Sofia, November 3 (BTA) - Following a statement by French President Emmanuel Macron, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva has ordered Bulgarian Ambassador in Paris Angel Cholakov to present a note of protest to the French Foreign Ministry, her ministry said on Saturday. Also, French Ambassador here Florence Robine has been summoned to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry on November 4.

In an interview for the far-right magazine Valleurs Actuelles, published on November 1, President Macron reportedly said that he prefers legal migrants from Guinea and Ivory Coast to illegal Ukrainian or Bulgarian gangs.

In a Facebook post on Saturday evening, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov wrote that the French President had contacted him to assure him that reports about his alleged statements are untrue.

"The French President assured me that he didn't criticize Bulgarian citizens, workers and institutions. President Macron reaffirmed his support for Bulgaria. As Prime Minister of Bulgaria I wonТt let anyone insult the Bulgarian people and I hope that similar situations will be avoided in the future", reads Borissov's post.

Earlier on Saturday, Foreign Minister Zaharieva said in a special statement that President Macron's words are insulting and unacceptable. Zaharieva also said that she does not understand the reason for the French President's statement and that it was probably related to some internal political problems. Zaharieva expressed certainty that this misunderstanding will be solved through diplomatic means.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov also reacted to President Macron's statement. Karakachanov wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday that this is "yet another example of arrogance, demonstrated by one of the current leaders of the one-time Entente Alliance." He called Macron's statement unacceptable from the point of view of diplomacy and offensive. "I categorically oppose such attempts to discredit Bulgaria and trample on the rights of Bulgarian citizens. Former colonial powers should deal with the legacy from their past governance," reads Karakachanov's Facebook post.

Approached for comment on Sunday, Bulgarian head of State Rumen Radev told journalists that foreign policy is too involved and delicate in order to be used ahead of elections for a cheap publicity stunt by whichever country. "In European politics it is unacceptable to label nations," said Radev, adding that on the other hand such statements should be translated very carefully and analyzed even more carefully in order to avoid excessive official reactions. Radev noted that relations between Bulgaria and France are based on longtime friendship and cooperation and if there are any problems, they have nothing to do with this. DS/PP