Happy holiday to all Bulgarians. Today we pay tribute to the millions of people and their sacrifice, who put an end to Nazism and at the cost of their lives made the unification of Europe possible, among them thousands of Bulgarians who died in World War II. Among them are thousands of Bulgarians who died in World War II. We pay tribute to the few remaining living Bulgarian veterans, bearers of the memory of this bloodiest war in history. However, Europe must remember that unification and prosperity became possible thanks to the joining of efforts to eradicate the hatred, rivalry and disputes that led to the Second World War. This was commented by the head of state Rumen Radev on the occasion of today's celebration of Europe Day, quoted by novini.bg.
“The tragedy of our time is that 80 years after the end of this war, international disputes in Europe are once again being resolved by force of arms. Europe does not have its own vision for ending the war and establishing peace, but is investing, in my opinion, in a doomed cause, in the hope that by pouring more weapons into Ukraine, it will be brought to a negotiating position from a position of force, which we see happening every day, just the opposite - even more victims, destruction, lost territories. This raises many questions - are we moving away from the initial project of a united Europe, which is based on peace? Is a European union for war possible? Is Europe afraid of the return of peace? Its return also means the return of public attention to the crises within our countries and societies“, the president is categorical.
Regarding the F-16 scandal, Radev emphasized: “Shouldn't the Supreme Commander-in-Chief have received information about the state and readiness of the armed forces? This is complete nonsense. But you remember very well who threw this problem into the public domain, who hysterized and politicized it. This happened in front of your cameras all the way from Valencia. I ask what the pilots and technicians of Borisov's Air Force are to blame for the fact that his political family in Europe is turning its back on him and Maria Gabriel was not elected as deputy chairman of the EPP? What is happening right now with the F-16 is the embodiment of the overall attitude of Borisov's administration towards defense issues. When you invest in defense, not out of your own conviction, but under pressure from outside and pursuing personal political gain, often the results are half-hearted and far from what is desired. You remember that it took me three consecutive CSNS to start the modernization. If it were not for NATO, 2% of GDP would never have been allocated for defense, entirely under pressure from our allies.“
In his words, the problem is not in the plane, nor in the American side: “The plane is a newly manufactured, excellent plane. The American side strictly fulfills its obligations under the terms of the contract. The problem is that in 2019, it was Borisov's government that significantly cut the ground technical package, which, according to the US recommendation, should be available at the airbase in order to maintain the plane in good operating condition and to enter a decent financial framework. I also vetoed it then.“