site.btaUPDATED Glavchev: Agreement with Ukraine Should Best Be Signed by Regular Cabinet, but Parliament Has to Resolve

Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said that he would not sign a security cooperation agreement with Ukraine without the support of the National Assembly and said it was best for the document to be approved by a regular government. Glavchev commented on the issue on Thursday in front of Bulgarian journalists in Brussels, where he arrived to attend the European Council meeting.

"I have heard nonsense that I am almost ruining the formation of a regular government and the negotiations, that I have stopped the reproductive procedures, that the budget does not stand for anything. What I hear about me blowing up the negotiations for [forming] a regular government comes as too much, because such a plot requires the involvement of international representatives. On Friday last week, we received confirmation from the Ukrainian side that the signing will take place now, in Brussels. I insisted that there must be a text [saying] that the decisions of the National Assembly must be respected. At the end of November, it was the decision of the Council of Ministers. I am baffled as to how it can be concluded that this was done to scupper the negotiations for [forming] a regular government. If there is one person who most wants to have a regular government, believe me, it is me," Glavchev said. 

"I am following what is going on in the National Assembly, I hope that this item will be on the agenda, that they will do their job, that they will say what they think about this agreement. I do not have any concerns about the substance of the agreement, it is in line with the previous decisions of the National Assembly, and the only thing that concerns me is the ten year period. If it does not enter Parliament, I will not sign the agreement, there is still a chance until the end of the day. I will ask President Zelenskyy to show understanding, we will wait for the decision of the National Assembly and then proceed to signing, or postpone it for better times, best for a regular cabinet," he added.

There is a possibility that any future government could terminate this agreement, the caretaker Prime Minister explained. 

Glavchev expressed his expectation the European Council to show unity for Ukraine. "We have not changed our position, we remain united with the rest of the EU that assistance to Ukraine will be provided as long as it is needed, comprehensively, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace that will guarantee its territorial integrity, independence and everything enshrined in the UN Charter. There is no change in position unless the [Bulgarian] National Assembly decides otherwise," he added.

Responding to a question, Glavchev said he had spoken to his counterpart from North Macedonia on Wednesday evening and called for the harshness of the tone to be reduced. Hate speech should not be applicable, the prime minister said. "Our position is unchanged, let us start with the good European manners and good European tone that should apply between a member state and an EU candidate," he said.

Glavchev added that at Thursday's meeting Bulgaria would advocate for calming the situation in the Middle East and finding a lasting and peaceful solution. In his words, it is best when everyone in the EU participates with common efforts in preventing illegal migration.