The possibility of an unknown third party attacking commercial ships in the Black Sea would be “very worrisome“. This was stated by former Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov in the program “120 Minutes“ regarding the attacks, in which over 20 people died or are missing.
“Who is this third party, so mysterious and powerful, that can, beyond the knowledge of Russia and Ukraine, attack ships in the Black Sea?“, Mitov asked. He stated that even after the first attacks, there were reasons to point to Russia as responsible for the instability in the region.
Criticism of the authorities' reaction
Mitov criticized the government's cautious formulations about the origin of the drones. He described as unconvincing the statement that "it is expected that the drones were Russian" because, in his words, this makes an assumption about an event that has already occurred.
The first attacks took place on October 6, and the second attacks followed on October 13. According to Mitov, even after the first incident, there was logic that the drones were Russian, but it was not publicly expressed by the government. After the second attacks, Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated that the logic points to Russia.
“I am not saying that his reaction or his words led to the second attack, but this logic could have been expressed the first time,“ said Mitov.
The Exclusive Economic Zone is not a reassurance
According to the former Foreign Minister, the fact that the attacks were carried out in Bulgaria's Exclusive Economic Zone should not be perceived as reassurance. He pointed out that the European Council had viewed the attacks as worrying, while Bulgarian authorities had initially emphasised that they had not taken place in the country's territorial waters.
“The fact that the attacks took place in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone is worrying for Brussels and the European Council, but reassuring for our government“, Mitov said.Questions about the moratorium and diplomacy
Mitov questioned how the proposed moratorium on attacks on merchant ships would be implemented. “How do you impose this moratorium? Who monitors its implementation? How are sanctions imposed if someone violates the moratorium?“, he asked.
According to him, the European Council conclusions do not contain a mechanism for a moratorium, but a call for an end to the attacks. Mitov said that sanctions and support for Ukraine should be used to make the aggressor suffer consequences.
He also criticized the decision to summon Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova directly to the Prime Minister. According to him, the initial reaction could have been at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including by delivering a diplomatic note.
Mitov described the expulsion of an ambassador as a last resort diplomatic measure that countries seek to avoid.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg