President Rumen Radev made a request to his Iranian colleague Massoud Pezeshkian for support in negotiations for the release of the captain and co-captain of the ship "Galaxy Leader" detained off the coast of Yemen. This was announced by the press office of the head of state. Radev also raised the issue of providing assistance from Iran for the release of all the hostages of "Hamas" captured during the attack on October 7 of this year
The two heads of state met during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. Radev noted the fruitful partnership between Bulgaria and Iran in the recent past, as well as the significant commercial and cultural exchange between the two countries, news.bg noted. He called for common efforts for their recovery and development. For his part, President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized that the bilateral cooperation between Iran and Bulgaria is based on the experience of 125 years of bilateral relations.
Regarding the prospects for Iran's relations with the European Union, the two presidents indicated that seeking and achieving solutions to all issues can only be done through genuine dialogue based on mutual respect, guaranteeing security and human dignity, which are founding principles of the United Nations. Rumen Radev also noted the possibility that Iran, with its influence, could contribute to the stabilization of the Middle East region.
We remind you that the two Bulgarians, who have been in captivity of the Yemeni Houthis since November 19, are the captain of the ship "Galaxy Leader" (Galaxy Leader) Lubomir Chanev and Senior Assistant Captain Danail Veselinov.
On her page in the social network Facebook, MEP from DPS/Renew Europe Elena Yoncheva stated that she is in Yemen in an attempt to reach them in the hope that they will be released soon.
"For 9 months, their families have practically not seen them and are extremely worried. To date, no European politician has met them or the crew. There are three citizens of the European Union in the crew - in addition to the two Bulgarians, there is also a Romanian citizen. I hope the meeting with the Bulgarian sailors will give hope to their relatives that they are not abandoned and the process of their release is close," Yoncheva said.
However, who are the two Bulgarian citizens and what do we know about them?
Captain Lyubomir Chanev is 38 years old and comes from the village of Kavrakirovo in Petrica. He lives with his family, whom he has not seen for almost 9 months, in Varna. His parents, who are farmers, as well as his sister, live in the "Strumsko" district of Blagoevgrad, according to BNR information. However, none of them wants to talk about the case for fear of harming him.
Senior assistant captain Danail Veselinov is 39 years old. He is from Gorna Oryahovitsa. He worked for the Varna company "Stamko" as an intermediary for hiring crews. for 13 years and he has never had such problems, said his wife Sabina Veselinova.
Rumen Radev also met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. The Bulgarian president pointed out that our country supports the noble mission of the UN, that development policies, and not military conflicts, determine the future of humanity.
The two united around the position that the military crises in Ukraine and the Middle East threaten peace and stability and exacerbate division in the world. The head of state expressed hope that the UN Security Council will become an effective tool to prevent military conflicts and crises in a timely manner, which will return humanity's focus to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Rumen Radev also expressed his concern about the ongoing military operations near the borders of Europe, as a result of which migration flows are increasing, the risk of radicalization and terrorist acts is increasing.
Antonia Guterres, for her part, said that strengthening peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations, which are the themes of this year's 79th session of the UN General Assembly, should be common goals and unite the whole the international community.
In addition, President Rumen Radev held informal talks with his colleagues within the 79th session of the UN General Assembly and participated in the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative - a high-level partnership format between NATO and the Council for cooperation in the Persian Gulf, agreed in 2004 at the NATO Summit in Istanbul. The head of state and his wife Desislava Radeva attended the reception given by US President Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden in honor of the heads of state and government and their wives on the occasion of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.