site.btaPrevious Cabinet Started Procedure for Appointment of Ambassador to Ukraine but Did Not Finalize It - PM

The previous government initiated a procedure for the appointment of an ambassador to Ukraine, but it was not finalized, Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said at a news briefing in the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.

"I hope we will not be blamed for the procedure not being finalized," Glavchev said.

Asked if he has approached Petar Tanev, a diplomat who is rumoured to have been previously nominated for this post, to offer him the post now, Glavchev said it remained uncertain if there was ever an official agreement regarding that nomination, considering his nomination was never sent to the President’s office. "We are not an investigative body, and therefore we cannot provide reasons for someone's past ambassadorial appointment or lack thereof."

Glavchev, who is also Foreign Minister, confirmed that Tanev was not considered for charge d'affaires of the embassy in Kyiv as he did not participate in the selection procedures. "I don't personally know him. How can an individual absent from the selection procedures be favoured over one who is present?"

Glavchev said perhaps the person has no interest in being a charge d'affaires but wants to be ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary instead.

Glavchev also reiterated that Nikolai Nenchev possesses the necessary qualifications to serve as the temporary head of the embassy in Kyiv, having successfully completed all required coordination procedures. Despite some opinions to the contrary, Nenchev was selected after internal ministry efforts failed to identify a suitable candidate, leading to an external search. "Nikolai Nenchev has successfully completed the procedure, demonstrating all necessary qualities, despite others' perceptions to the contrary", he said.

"As a caretaker government, we've abstained from appointing any ambassador. Once a regular government is established, it will undertake all necessary procedures. Consequently, we've only appointed a charge d’affaires, bypassing the need for a presidential decree," Glavchev said.

He explained that the selection of an ambassador involves prior coordination between the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the President, and this process is not required for appointing a charge d’affaires.

The presidential secretariat announced earlier on Wednesday that, following the coordination procedure from October 2023, no decision from the Council of Ministers regarding the appointment of an extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Bulgaria to Ukraine has been submitted to the President. The presidential secretariat added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be consulted for the reason the proposed candidate's appointment procedure remains incomplete.