Cabinet members, leaders of the parliamentary represented parties and other political figures commented Monday on the veto President Rumen Radev put earlier during the day on the previously ratified agreement between the Bulgarian Interior Ministry and Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence on the provision of armoured transport vehicles to Ukraine.
Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said that the veto will be overruled and he sees no point in commenting on it.
Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel expressed disappointment at Radev’s decision. She commented on head of State’s words that armored high-terrain transport equipment provided to Ukraine could be used specifically for the protection of the Bulgarian border and for providing assistance to the population in the event of disasters and accidents, including in hard-to-reach areas:
“To the best of my knowledge, the decommissioning [of the equipment] occurred under caretaker governments, and as far as I know no measures have been taken [by the caretaker cabinets appointed by Radev] to use them in the cited situations,” Gabriel noted. The decision [for the provision] was coordinated with the Interior Ministry, with the necessary institutions to make Bulgaria's position clear, she added.
The Deputy Prime Minister expressed no concern about the veto, pointing out that it was „simply a matter of time for the National Assembly to do its job“ and vote the provision again.
There is a sufficient majority to override the President's veto, National Assembly Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov stated. "The President's position is predictable and consistent. The position of the majority is also such and it will lead to overcoming the veto, because Bulgaria's foreign policy is based on an objective that is written in the Constitution - is assistance to the establishment of a just international order," he stressed.
GERB published an official statement on the issue on its Facebook page, stating that "once again President Rumen Radev demonstrated an inadequate position for a head of State of a EU and NATO country."
"As a NATO country and EU Member State Bulgaria follows the common position of the democratic world. The parliamentary majority has a clear and consistent policy supporting Ukraine's right to defend its citizens and territory," the statement reads.
Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria MP Ivaylo Mirchev described the veto as "absolutely ungrounded". None of the reasons for the veto is relevant, and each one was discussed in the plenary hall, he argued. In his words, the President ruled through caretaker governments for nearly two years; if he wanted the armoured vehicles to go to Civil Protection so much, he could have done it. "This is political hypocrisy on the President's part with which he obviously wants to demonstrate fidelity to [Russian Ambassador Eleonora] Mitrofanova and to generate energy for his own political project against the backdrop of this assistance that Bulgaria can send," Mirchev commented.
Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) floor leader Delyan Peevski described the veto as “shameful”.
“After this decision it is even more clear how important it is for Bulgaria to have a Euro-Atlantic parliamentary majority and a Euro-Atlantic government supported by it. Anything else risks taking our country on another, non-European and dangerous path - towards Moscow, towards Putin, where pro-Russian politicians want to divert it,” Peevski said. The National Assembly should override the President's veto this week, confirming the country’s support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, he added.
BSP leader Korneliya Ninova said her party will support the veto. "The BSP for Bulgaria parliamentary group was against this deal from the beginning," she noted, adding that the Radev's motives almost entirely coincide with the group's statements from the rostrum.
Vazrazhdane published an official statement to the media, expressing support for the President and saying that he repeats their arguments on the issue.
/MR/
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