Bulgarian President Says Crimea Is Russian. Ukraine Responds

Radev says sanctions against Russia are ineffective.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who wants to be re-elected for a second term, considers Crimea to be Russian territory and says EU sanctions against Russia are ineffective. He made the statements during a debate on November 18 with his main rival for the presidency, Anastas Gerdzhikov. 

The Russia question divided the candidates. During the debate, Gerdzhikov called Crimea Ukrainian territory regardless of which flag flies over it. He noted that sanctions against Russia should not be lifted until the issues of Crimea and human rights in Russia are resolved. 

However, incumbent President Radev said that sanctions against Russia are ineffective. 

Rumen Radev
President of Bulgaria

Pragmatism in foreign policy is extremely important. Sanctions against Russia appear ineffective. We need a pragmatic policy toward Moscow. Not least, we must not forget that Russia is a very important factor in the fight against global terrorism.

Asked by his opponent whose Crimea it is, Radev replied: "It is now Russian." The president also noted that Russia cannot be our development model, but Russia cannot be our enemy. According to him, there is a lot of speculation about Russia, so the most important thing is to seek dialogue with Moscow. 

For his part, Gerdzhikov noted that relations with Russia should be pragmatic, aimed at exchanging investments and joint economic initiatives. 

Note that in the first round of the presidential election, Radev won 49.42% of the vote, while Gerdzhikov received 22.83%. Radev has consistently pro-Russian views. After winning the 2016 election, he said he would work toward the EU abandoning sanctions against Russia. 

Previously, he had stated that Crimea is de jure Ukrainian but de facto Russian, and that Russia is not an enemy of Bulgaria. 

Ukraine's Response

Due to the statement by Bulgaria's incumbent president on Crimea, which is temporarily occupied, belonging to Russia, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Bulgaria's ambassador in Kyiv, Konstantin Kodzhabashev. 

The ministry said: "The Ukrainian side conveyed to the ambassador our state's position that President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev's statements about Crimea during yesterday's pre-election television debates were incorrect and unacceptable." 

The Foreign Ministry also noted that the words of Bulgaria's incumbent president do not contribute to the development of good-neighborly relations between Ukraine and Bulgaria and sharply contradict Sofia's official position supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. 

"We expect President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev to retract his statement from yesterday," the ministry said. 

According to the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Konstantin Kodzhabashev assured that Bulgaria's position supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine remains unchanged, including Crimea as an integral part of Ukrainian territory, as well as efforts to deoccupy the peninsula, in particular through Bulgaria's participation in the work of the Crimea Platform.