Position of the press secretariat of Bulgaria’s President on Crimea

In connection with questions asked by the media related to interpretations of the words of President Rumen Radev from the pre-election debate on November 18, 2021 regarding his position on the issue of Crimea, the press office of the head of state on November 22 informed:

Head of State Rumen Radev has repeatedly stated that the annexation of Crimea is in violation of international law. This is a clear position of the Republic of Bulgaria in all international organisations. From a legal point of view, Crimea belongs to Ukraine and Bulgaria has repeatedly stated its support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, as President Rumen Radev emphasized in the election debate, "currently" Crimea is controlled by Russia and it is more than clear that this problem cannot be solved by force. More than once, as in the debate, the head of state has expressed concern about this factual situation, which leads to tensions in international relations and especially in the Black Sea region, which has a direct bearing on the security of Bulgaria and its allies.

The President has repeatedly expressed fears of a possible escalation of tensions in the region, and in particular in eastern Ukraine, and called for adequate confidence and dialogue building measures to reduce confrontation and create conditions for a peaceful solution of the conflict.

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