The decision for Bulgaria to join the so-called "Peace Council", created at the initiative of US President Donald Trump, must become the subject of a thorough public and parliamentary discussion. This was stated by former Defense Minister Todor Tagarev in the studio of "Offensive".
According to him, the decision was made "in the dark and on the spur of the moment" by the Council of Ministers, without clarity as to whether it actually meets the national interest. Tagarev questioned the very nature of the new format, describing it as a “strange mix between an international organization and a private club“.
According to Tagarev, the most worrying are the financial commitments set out in the council's charter. According to the document, membership is for a period of three years, and can only be extended with a contribution of $1 billion, which must be made in the first year.
“If the government imagined that Bulgaria would participate in the long term, it should be ready to contribute this $1 billion“, Tagarev stressed.
Nikolai Mladenov – personal success, not diplomatic
On the occasion of the appointment of Nikolay Mladenov as special representative for Gaza, Tagarev was categorical that this is a “huge personal success“, but not for Bulgarian diplomacy. “Mladenov has had no formal connection with Bulgarian foreign policy for years. He has made an extremely successful international career in a personal capacity“, the former minister pointed out.
According to him, there is no direct connection between this appointment and Bulgaria's accession to the “Peace Council“, nor grounds to expect concrete benefits such as the abolition of visas for the US or the participation of Bulgarian companies in the reconstruction of Gaza.
Iran: No expectations of escalation
Regarding the presence of American aircraft carriers near Iran, Tagarev called for restraint in assessments. "I wouldn't attach much importance to this presence at this point," he said, noting that such naval groups are deployed in the region regularly.
According to him, the peak of tension around the protests in Iran has already passed and the chance of an immediate escalation is small. "Prognoses are always risky, but I don't expect anything special to happen in the coming days," Tagarev concluded.