Bulgaria effectively does not support the Dublin Declaration because of the reservations expressed by Prime Minister Rumen Radev regarding its preamble. This was stated by former Deputy Foreign Minister Stefan Tafrov on the NOVA programme “Ofensiva s Lyubo Ognyanov.”
Tafrov insisted that the government publish the full text of the objections so that it would become clear which specific formulations the Bulgarian side does not accept.
“It is very important for the government to publish the full text of the objections raised by the Bulgarian prime minister against the preamble. He claims that they have been attached and recorded in the minutes. This means that such a text exists,” Tafrov said.According to him, the preamble refers to Russian aggression against Ukraine, Moscow’s hybrid campaigns and its attempts to undermine support for Kyiv. Tafrov stressed that the very first sentence refers to the principles of international law.
He recalled that under Article 24 of the Constitution, Bulgaria’s foreign policy is based on international law. According to Tafrov, the public still does not know exactly what the prime minister requested to be changed. He noted that the official French information about the declaration does not mention any Bulgarian reservations.
The Declaration on the Key Principles of European Security was adopted at the meeting of the European Political Community in Dublin. A total of 39 countries united around the text, and the initiative is associated with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Asked whether Bulgaria supports the entire document, given that the prime minister had expressed support but raised reservations regarding the preamble, Tafrov answered in the negative.
“In practice, it does not. The preamble in a text, in a political declaration such as this one, is where the main principles and the approach around which the countries unite are set out,” he said.According to the former diplomat, if a country does not accept the foundation of the document, it can hardly claim to support the rest of it.
Tafrov also commented on the possibility of a trilateral meeting between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. According to him, it will be largely symbolic and will not lead to any significant change in the international situation.
“I expect nothing. Because it will be a photo in which Putin and Trump, who are losing, by the way,” Tafrov said.He suggested that nuclear disarmament could be discussed at the meeting, but pointed out that China had little interest in deepening these talks, as it is expanding its nuclear capabilities.