Bulgarian opposition challenges government over UN Ukraine declaration

Bulgaria’s opposition Democratic Bulgaria party on Friday questioned the government over what it described as conflicting statements by President Iliana Iotova and the Foreign Ministry about whether the country endorsed a UN declaration on Ukraine, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, have said that Bulgaria has joined the UN declaration on Ukraine. President Iliana Iotova says that Bulgaria has not joined it,” Democratic Bulgaria floor leader Nadejda Iordanova told journalists, according to the party.

“This situation is absurd; two institutions in Bulgaria cannot put forward contradictory statements on what exactly the country's position on this issue is,” she said.

Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the country had endorsed the declaration in support of European unity, while stressing that its national position was not fully reflected in the document. It also said Iotova had presented Bulgaria’s position in her address to the UN General Assembly.

Earlier Friday, the ruling Progressive Bulgaria party rejected two proposals by Democratic Bulgaria to hold a parliamentary hearing involving the foreign minister or a relevant deputy minister over the issue.

Democratic Bulgaria said the conflicting statements “tarnish Bulgaria’s name.”

“We will insist that it be clarified whether President Iotova believes that Kaja Kallas is lying,” Iordanova said, calling the situation “a major scandal and a disgrace for our country.”

Iordanova said countries endorsing such declarations normally have an opportunity to discuss the text before a final version is circulated.

“A country that does not wish to support the document must make an explicit statement to that effect,” she said.

“Clearly, Bulgaria has not made such a statement. So here they are trying to hide the answer to the big question — where does Bulgaria stand on this issue? — behind procedural arguments,” Iordanova said.

Iotova said Thursday that the declaration had not been signed and that Bulgaria had not been given an opportunity to express reservations or seek amendments to the text. She said she did not attend an expanded UN Security Council meeting because of the issue.

In her UN General Assembly address, Iotova said there was “no military solution” to the war in Ukraine and that peace could not be achieved without the participation of both Ukraine and Russia.

The declaration calls on Russia to agree to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine and to begin substantive peace negotiations.

Bulgaria is listed among the countries endorsing the declaration, according to the document cited by BTA.