The attacks against peaceful vessels in the Black Sea are targeted terrorist actions by Russian forces, and Bulgaria must strengthen its defense capabilities. This was stated by the chairman of the DSB and MEP Radan Kanev in an interview with bTV.
“This is state terrorism. The source of this state terrorism is beyond any doubt“, said Kanev. He specified that in his opinion these are attacks against non-military ships in the exclusive economic zones of Bulgaria and Romania, as well as in Romanian territorial waters.
Kanev: Bulgaria must be prepared for such attacks
The MEP rejected the thesis that what is happening is simply an expansion of the war. According to him, the war is being waged in Ukraine, while the attacks on civilian vessels are a separate series of actions that affect the security of the countries in the Black Sea region.
“We need armed forces, preparedness to protect against such attacks“, said Kanev. He described as a failure the policy according to which Bulgaria can protect itself if it avoids openly naming Russia as an aggressor.
He pointed out two sectors as particularly sensitive for the country - the export of grain by sea and the import of oil to the Bulgarian refinery. According to him, the threats could have an impact on inflation and people's purchasing power.
Kanev also criticized the initial reaction of the Bulgarian authorities. He recalled a statement by the Prime Minister that there had been more serious attacks, as well as a claim about hundreds of attacks on ships. “However, there were no attacks with the sinking of ships, with victims, directly near our waters, until recently“, said the MEP.
According to him, the Bulgarian authorities initially rejected the need to seek support and join the anti-drone coalition, but later changed their position. “It is important to make the right decisions“, said Kanev.
The dispute over the European Union budget
In the conversation, he also commented on the discrepancy between the statements of the Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Pekanov regarding the Bulgarian position on the European Union budget. Kanev said that this is not the first time in the cabinet that a Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister has had to give additional explanations after a statement by the Foreign Minister.
The MEP focused on the proposed Competitiveness Fund, which, in his words, covers nearly 30% of the budget and envisages that the funds will be distributed on a competitive basis between enterprises from different countries.
Kanev insisted that Bulgaria should not strive to reduce the fund, but to seek a mechanism that would guarantee a share for countries with lower gross domestic product. According to him, Bulgarian enterprises can compete successfully for these funds.
He made a distinction between competitive financing and cohesion funds, where allocation decisions are often made politically. Kanev gave the example of stadiums built in depopulated villages and stated that the protection of inefficient financial mechanisms should not be at the expense of investments in competitiveness.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg