Bulgarian President Rumen Radev called the Crimea peninsula Russian and announced its “annexation” and also appreciated the possibility of enmity between Sofia and Moscow. This is reported by TASS.
For the first time, Radev spoke about the ownership of the peninsula at the election debates with his main opponent, Anastas Gerdzhikov, on the air of national television and radio. He stressed the importance of dialogue in relations between countries. Radev noted that pragmatism is necessary in foreign policy, and the policy of introducing new anti-Russian sanctions over Crimea has no effect. To a clarifying question about the ownership of the peninsula, the Bulgarian president replied that “Crimea is Russian at the moment.”
Russia cannot be a model of our development, but Russia cannot be our enemy, at least because in our memory citizens, she is the liberator of our people. There is a lot of speculation with regard to Russia, I can say that in this difficult situation a dialogue is necessary, which in Russia-EU relations has been violated, is in a critical state
Rumen Radev President of Bulgaria Kiev's reaction
After Radev's statement on Crimea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Ukraine summoned Bulgarian Ambassador to Kiev Kostadin Kodzhabashev. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ukrainian side conveyed to the diplomat the position of the republic on the incorrectness and inadmissibility of the statements of the Bulgarian leader and demanded to refute the words about the ownership of Crimea.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also pointed out that such statements do not contribute to the development of good-neighborly relations between Ukraine and Bulgaria and are at odds with the official position of Sofia. It is noted that Kodzhabashev assured Bulgaria's unchanging position in supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Radev dealt a blow to friendly relations between Ukraine and Bulgaria by declaring the Russian peninsula.
I will tell Rumen Radev what a drama is: if Russia attacked Bulgaria, grabbed a piece of territory and killed thousands of people. With his rash utterances, he struck a blow at friendly Ukrainian-Bulgarian relations, exposed Bulgaria to EU criticism and played along with Russian propaganda
The European Commission, in response to a request to comment on Radev's words, also recalled the solidarity position of the EU countries, which is that Crimea is Ukrainian.
Radev's answer
Commenting on Kiev's demand to clarify its words about the ownership of the peninsula, Radev reiterates stated that Crimea is currently Russian, such are the political realities, and this issue is clear.
At the same time, he stressed that the “annexation” of Crimea by Russia in 2014 is a violation of international law, and his position on this the question remains unchanged.
What did they say in Russia?
Commenting on the situation, a member of the Federation Council Alexei Pushkov drew attention to the fact that in the 21st century the right of the strong has actually replaced international law.
Did NATO have the right to bomb Yugoslavia? No. Libya? No. Did the United States and Britain have the right to occupy Iraq? No. Did Berlin, Paris and Warsaw have the right to break the guarantees they gave to Yanukovych? No. Did the United States have the right to strike at Syria? No. Etc.
Alexey PushkovMember of the Federation Council
The senator recalled the words of former US President George W. Bush, who said that he had “not heard” about international law, and noted that his successors Barack Obama and Donald Trump did not have much different attitude towards international law.
In this context, persistent references to international law in only one case – despite the fact that it is ignored or openly violated in many others, is untenable. This is not about President Radev – he in fact recognizes the presence of Crimea as part of Russia, but more broadly.
Alexey Pushkov, member of the Federation Council
Pushkov added that “in any case, there are a hundred times more reasons for Crimea to be part of Russia, than the Falkland Islands as part of Britain. “
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On November 18, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky introduced sanctions against 28 employees of the Russian special services. The corresponding package of restrictions was adopted by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of the republic back in August.
The sanctions include blocking assets, restricting trade operations, stopping the transit of resources, preventing the withdrawal of capital from Ukraine, stopping the fulfillment of economic obligations, a ban on participation in privatization and leasing of state property.
According to the department, the specified persons on the sanctions list were engaged in planting “Russian narratives” and assisting the “occupation power” on the territory of Crimea and Donbass.
The Crimean people are right
The Deputy Representative of Russia to the United Nations (UN) Gennady Kuzmin, during a speech at a meeting of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, said that life has confirmed the correctness of the Crimeans who voted in 2014 in a referendum on the annexation of the peninsula to Russia.
He drew attention to to the fact that “unlike today's Ukraine, in Crimea, residential areas are not fired from guns, people are not burned alive, journalists are not killed, Nazi marches are not carried out, and they are not prohibited from speaking their native language.”
Death , destruction, humiliation – this is what was prepared for the residents of Crimea as part of Ukraine
Gennady Kuzminzampost of the Russian Ambassador to the UN
Crimea joined Russia in March 2014 following a referendum. The overwhelming majority of countries in the world, including Moscow's partners in the Eurasian Union, do not recognize the change in ownership of the peninsula. Afghanistan, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Syria, Sudan and Palestine supported Russia's position.