The decision of the outgoing Bulgarian government to include our country among the founders of the so-called "Peace Council", an initiative of US President Donald Trump, continues to raise serious questions - legal, political and moral. This was commented by Milen Keremedchiev, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
According to him, the structure's statute explicitly states that it is an international organization - a fact that automatically requires ratification by the National Assembly. The same applies to the participation of the United States, which under US law must be approved by Congress.
„There is a serious problem already in the first point of the statute. This is an international organization, but it is unclear whether and how it will be ratified. Without this, the document remains without legal value“, believes Keremedchiev.
Additional questions are also raised by the governance structure - President Trump is named as a lifetime chairman, with the right of sole veto over all decisions. In practice, this means that the other countries have no real say in the decision-making process, explained the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Bulgaria has signed up for participation for a period of three years, which coincides with the end of Donald Trump's term. If our country does not make its financial contribution during this period, it will automatically drop out of the council. According to Keremedchiev, this suggests that Bulgaria's participation is rather formal, without real commitment and without the possibility of influence.
“The main question is why we are there and what our role is. There is no answer to this question – neither from the Council of Ministers nor from the Foreign Ministry“, he said.
The former Deputy Foreign Minister emphasized that many European countries have already refused to participate. Italy has announced that the initiative contradicts its constitution, Slovakia has also refused, and the European Commission has come out with a generally reserved opinion. Belgium was even listed as a participant “by mistake“.
“For Bulgaria, this decision is illogical from a foreign policy point of view. We see domestic political motives rather than a clear strategic goal“, believes Keremedchiev.
According to him, it is also extremely problematic that the decisions of such a council may contradict UN resolutions, placing the member states in a “straddle position“ between international law and unilateral initiatives.
As for the real function of the “Peace Council“, the focus is mainly on the reconstruction of Gaza and possible participation in peacekeeping operations. However, it remains unclear for Bulgaria what exactly its commitment would be – financial, military or purely symbolic, the expert commented.