If there is clear evidence that the attack on the two merchant ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea was Russian, Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova will summon Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova.
"If we have clear evidence that this is the case, of course it will happen", the minister told journalists before the start of the International Ministerial Conference on Corridor 8.
During the attack, one ship sank and the other burst into flames. The Director of the "Emergency and Rescue Activity" at the Executive Agency "Maritime Administration" Rumen Nikolov announced yesterday that no sailors have been found from the sunken ship and the search and rescue operation has been terminated.
It is important to receive the necessary assistance so that an inspection can be carried out on site. As far as I understand from my colleagues, it is very specific and difficult to inspect a ship that is sinking. I hope that we have the necessary facilities so that this can happen and that we have clear facts and evidence of who exactly is the culprit, commented Petrova, quoted by BTA.
When asked if there was any contact with Ukraine, the Minister of Foreign Affairs replied that until the main perpetrator is identified, communication is at the level of security services and the Ministries of Defense. Colleagues working on the case are in constant contact with their Ukrainian counterparts, but what we haven't had is confirmation from our side that the attack was Russian, as claimed. They are in contact with all countries that may have some information - both Romania and Ukraine, she explained.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the day of the attack that the entire volume of data had been clarified with the Bulgarian side. Our naval forces contacted their colleagues in Bulgaria. It has been established that this was a Russian combined attack with sea and air drones, the Ukrainian head of state said, quoted by Ukrinform.