Kirill Budanov's unofficial visit to Bulgaria has raised political reactions and requests for explanations from the Council of Ministers. The visit became known after former Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov published a joint photo with the head of the cabinet of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
At the moment, no official program of the visit has been published, nor any details of Budanov's meetings with Bulgarian statesmen. The lack of information has raised questions in the National Assembly.
„Vazrazhdane“ has requested information from the government
The leader of „Vazrazhdane“ Kostadin Kostadinov said that Budanov spent about 20 hours on Bulgarian territory. According to him, the parliamentary groups were not notified of the visit and the formation will request official data on its purpose and the conversations held during the stay.
He linked the visit to the meeting of the National Security Advisory Council, convened due to the attacks on two merchant ships in the Black Sea. According to Kostadinov, the coincidence raises questions about the way in which the ruling party informs the public and parliament.
“Against the background of the fact that the Advisory Council was discussing some formulations on how to seek understanding to achieve peace in the Black Sea, and at the same time we are accepting here the right hand of the leader of one of the two warring states, for me this is a manifestation of very serious political hypocrisy“, said the leader of “Vazrazhdane“.
Kostadinov added that in his opinion such actions could call into question national security. The party intends to send an official letter to the Office of the Council of Ministers requesting specific data on the conversations and topics discussed during the visit.
Peevski: Questions are for the Prime Minister
The leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms Delyan Peevski also stated that he had no prior information about Budanov's arrival. When asked whether there had been meetings with parliamentary parties or invitations to him, he directed attention to the executive branch.
„I have no information about this. These questions are for the Prime Minister. He owes full information about what the government is doing. And it would be good if he appeared more often“, said Peevski.Tsvetan Tsvetanov announced that he wished Budanov success in his upcoming meetings in the United States and expressed hope that his efforts would contribute to achieving a just and lasting peace. However, details about the purpose of the visit to Bulgaria and the possible meetings of the Ukrainian representative have not been announced.
Sources: dunavmost.com, novini.bg, eurocom.bg