Bulgaria and Greece must intensify work on strategic projects in the field of energy and transport connectivity. This was stated by Rumen Radev after a meeting with the President and Prime Minister of Greece in Athens, where he is on a working visit, quoted by BNT.
Radev also said that our country is ready to help the European integration of the Republic of North Macedonia where there is a lack of knowledge and political will.
President Rumen Radev and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have discussed the behavior of the new state leadership of the Republic of North Macedonia.
Rumen Radev - President of the Republic of Bulgaria: "To a great disappointment, the state leadership of the RSM is clearly not ready for the post for many reasons."
According to Radev, they do not know international law well, because they do not know that when an international agreement is signed, it must be respected and not revised. They do not know that the Constitution of Bulgaria and the RSM are different. They do not know the European legislation that when there are conclusions of the council, they are not subject to bargaining, but must be implemented. He thinks they also lack knowledge of statistics:
"These are well-known facts that at least 120 thousand citizens of the RSM have received Bulgarian citizenship on the basis of proven origin with documents. There should be basic knowledge of human rights, because in Bulgaria we don't beat people who express a different identity, we don't shoot at their clubs, we don't burn them down and we don't keep them away from any positions in the administration."
These processes in Skopje worry Bulgaria and Greece and, according to the president, they are rapidly moving away from European integration. Rumen Radev also announced that the problems that prevented the liquefied gas terminal in Alexandroupolis from starting to work, in which our country has a 20% stake, are already being fixed and it will start working by October at the latest.
Earlier, Rumen Radev took part in a discussion in a 28-year round table of the magazine "Economist" in Athens. President Radev stated to the forum participants that a solution to Russia's war in Ukraine should be sought through diplomacy and dialogue.
Every day of the war is a risk to world peace, the president said. Define it as a war of attrition that leads to political uncertainty and populism:
"All allies have expressed determination for Ukraine to be in NATO, the question is not if, but when. The answer to this question will depend on what happens on the battlefield and the possibility of reaching a sustainable and just peace. Ukraine is a sovereign state. She has the freedom to decide."
Radev said he understands leaders who worry that if Ukraine is not supported with everything, including troops, values are being surrendered and an acknowledgment that in the 21st century territory can be acquired through military means:
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"At the same time, it should be clear - NATO should not get involved in this war. Any direct confrontation between NATO and Russia risks leading to a global nuclear conflict. This is not in the interest of either Europe or Ukraine."
According to President Radev, the peace conference in Switzerland, in which Bulgaria also participates, is a step in the right direction.