site.btaUPDATED President Holds Meeting with Bulgarian Community in Riyadh

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev met with members of the Bulgarian community in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday. The head of State responded to their questions. He is visiting Saudi Arabia to attend the Future Investment Initiative international forum.

"For Bulgaria to move forward confidently and develop as a modern, European, democratic country, there must be clear accountability in government. For me, this is a key condition," he said. “Until we remove the model of backroom dealings, the absence of any accountability, and at the same time decision-making about running the State in a direction unknown to anyone – a direction that exists only in the minds of a very limited circle of people – we cannot expect development going forward,” added Radev.

“Can you imagine, in Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman not running the state, but having someone above him who has no formal authority yet instructs him every morning, noon, and evening on what to do, how to do it, and with whom? Can you imagine the Crown Prince being entitled to an armoured car, but someone else driving it?” the head of State said.

“Bulgaria has a clearly defined perspective. Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and NATO, and Bulgaria, I am confident, must develop within clearly defined democratic mechanisms. The real challenge here is for Bulgaria to remain a loyal member of these unions while also defending its national interest,” Radev added.

“Bulgaria is a democratic state. We have all the democratic institutions that a modern European country should have. But the mechanisms by which the State is governed, the mechanisms of relations between the State, business, and society, still have a long way to go to reach normal European standards,” the President argued.

“For Bulgaria to achieve economic development, sustainable economic growth, innovative industries, investments, and for Bulgarians themselves to invest in their own country, we still have a lot of work to do to ensure that Bulgarian business is free from extortion and institutional pressure,” Radev said.