There is no immediate danger to our country after the new drone attacks in the Black Sea, but there are definitely risks to national security. This was stated on the air of "Offensive with Lyubo Ognyanov" on NOVA NEWS by President Iliana Yotova.
"I don't even want to think that some incident could happen in the territorial waters of Bulgaria, because then other laws come into effect - both ours and international ones," commented the head of state.
According to her, Bulgaria has a very active position at this moment. "I have not seen such strong diplomatic decisions, contacts and pressure from the Bulgarian state as after the incidents in the Black Sea", she said and added that in no case can we be observers.
The President also said that she had a conversation with her Romanian counterpart Nikusor Dan. "Our conversation was dedicated to Bulgaria and Romania, as members of the EU, raising the topic of the Black Sea as a separate point with the respective requests from the two countries for safety, shipping and a moratorium on the use of drones in the Black Sea", Yotova pointed out.
"We are betting on multi-level diplomacy, first with our European partners, then with our neighbors from Turkey, then we want to expand this diplomatic initiative between all the countries bordering the Black Sea. We have almost no binding documents at the international level between the six countries bordering the Black Sea," the head of state said.
Iliyana Yotova also said that at this stage she does not recommend a military escort. "By creating a convoy of merchant ships of civil shipping, we become a target, let's not forget that", she warned. According to her, the mine clearance group in the Black Sea has been extremely successful.
Regarding the consultations under Article 4 of the NATO treaty after the second drone attack, Yotova said that she had not changed her opinion. "I am also in constant contact with our permanent representatives in Brussels both in terms of NATO and the EU. There were very serious incidents, literally drone attacks in Poland, you remember the story with drones in Denmark. Even these two countries did not allow themselves to activate Article 4. On the other hand, the consultations we are conducting at various levels, including with the Supreme Commander of NATO forces in Europe, are part of these consultations that would have been activated under Article 4, as well as the consultations with our European partners," the head of state said.
"We must be very careful who uses the activation of Article 4 and how. Such a move is perceived as an escalating moment. We all know what the next step is, which is extremely dangerous, because this is war," Yotova pointed out.
Criticism after the meeting of the National Security Council
"The majority, if not 90 percent, of what we proposed as the presidential administration and myself personally, in terms of internal measures, in terms of the EU, NATO and the UN, were accepted by everyone who was sitting there, perhaps with one or two exceptions. For the first time in this text, we said that we are for peace, that peace can only be achieved through negotiations, we said that there should be an immediate ceasefire. For the first time in a text, we said that all political and diplomatic channels should be used to end the war in Ukraine. Moreover, Bulgaria should be very active in this role. I do not think that we should remain silent. In all possible formats in which we participate, Bulgaria should highlight its capabilities in this regard - to be part of this diplomatic channel", said Yotova.
In her words, however, the telephone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin are not an expression of good politics. "Everyone should call President Putin, we are part of the European Union, we have our alliance commitments. It will be much stronger if these diplomatic channels to Russia are opened on behalf of the entire EU", the head of state believes.
"The most wrong thing would be to wait for a resolution from the side, to kill more and more young people, to pour colossal funds into this war", said Yotova and added: "What I propose is an active role of the entire European Union, our common proposal for how the war in Ukraine should end, with a preliminary analysis of what has been made as mistakes up to this point since 2022".
"I am considering three options. The first option is the so-called small steps scenario. First, a moratorium in the Black Sea - it would be a big step. Second, a ceasefire, then moving on to the specific proposal as a text, consolidated between the EU, Ukraine and, possibly, the United States, and next, including Russia at the real negotiating table," said Yotova.
The election campaign
"Now I want to be the president of all Bulgarian citizens, even those who for some reason do not want to vote or do not want to vote for me. That is why I am looking for dialogue above all," said Yotova. According to her, if elected president, she will work with "Progressive Bulgaria" just like with all other parties, because the presidential institution is non-partisan.
"Bulgaria does not have a division between East and West, we have long ago chosen where we are, who our partners are, which family we are in, and that is the EU and NATO. In the EU, Bulgaria must start being that country that does not just say "yes" to everything, but to have its own opinion, with a strong backbone, to win allies for different policies," she said.
On the air of the show, Iliana Yotova announced that if she were elected president, she would submit a draft for changes to the Constitution. "I would strengthen the decentralization of municipalities more and I would eliminate the shameful "home book"", she said.
"It is important for me that local authorities take matters into their own hands, because there is a lot of bread in it, it can be done so that it also assists the national authorities. We have exceptionally good mayors in Bulgaria, let's give them more opportunities to develop," said Yotova.
On the judicial system
"I cannot comment on individual individuals yet, because discussions are ongoing. But what I care about most is that there are no doubts about these people, that there is no repeat of the same thing. There are probably no impeccable people in this world, but the important thing is that they are authoritative people who, as members of the Supreme Judicial Council, deliver justice throughout the system. Yes, they are not the only ones responsible, but with the example they set and the decisions they make, they can bring peace to this system and, secondly, restore my trust in its justice," the president pointed out.
She allowed for the possibility that the new Prosecutor General of Bulgaria will be elected by the end of the year. "Why do you think that he will definitely be appointed by the next president? I think this can happen by the end of this year, and I am the acting president. I know that talks are underway about possible candidates for the position of prosecutor general," Yotova said.
Reforms in the pardon system
"I think this is an outdated regulatory system, the necessary materials and documents must reach the presidential institution in a completely different way, based on which we make decisions," Yotova said.
According to her, guaranteeing the privacy of doctors is mandatory. "Doctors are currently under pressure from various directions and I would not like one day for any of them to suffer because of their own decision," she said. According to her, it is possible to think about how to additionally collect information about a person before he is pardoned. "This is also a matter of strengthening the administration in the presidency," she added.