Choque en Bulgaria en torno a un pacto de seguridad con Kiev
El debate en Bulgaria en torno a un acuerdo de seguridad con Ucrania ha derivado en un choque directo entre el ex primer ministro del país balcánico Boiko Borissov y el jefe de gobierno interino.
Sofia (Euractiv.bg / Euractiv).- The debate in Bulgaria over a security agreement with Ukraine has led to a direct clash between the former prime minister of the Balkan country Boyko Borissov and the interim head of government.
Borissov, leader of the GERB (EPP) party, decided on Thursday to withdraw his support for the signing of a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine after the interim head of government asked the country’s parliament to make a decision on the controversial dossier.
The security agreement with Ukraine is part of an initiative involving more than 20 countries and the EU. Bulgaria’s interim prime minister, Dimitar Glavchev, pledged in October to join the initiative.
Although Glavchev was initially scheduled to sign the agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, taking advantage of their presence in Brussels on Thursday, the interim government refused to sign the text and is now seeking a mandate from parliament, where GERB has a majority.
Of the EU’s 27 partners, only six have not signed such agreements, including Bulgaria. These are: Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Malta and Cyprus.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, GERB has supported Sofia’s military backing of Ukraine. On many occasions Borissov has highlighted this support as proof of his party’s pro-Western stance.
But, in his opinion, things have changed now.
«Six months ago, we would have fully supported such an agreement,» he said on Thursday, adding that such support today is equivalent to «buying a factory on September 9.»
The correct popular expression in Bulgaria would be «buy a factory on September 8», a metaphorical expression to indicate that this is a very bad deal. On September 9, 1944, Bulgaria was occupied by the Soviet army, which did not bode well for the factory owners.
Borisov explained that the reason for the rejection is the growing debate in Europe and the United States about how to achieve peace in Ukraine.
In this sense, he added that he will make an effort «(…) for (achieving) a reconstruction or peace process» in Ukraine, although he stressed that it should be a stable government – and not an interim executive – that «signs a treaty that is mutually beneficial».
However, Borissov did not explain in what aspects he appreciates the alleged lack of mutual benefit in the agreement.
Asked how a stable government, in which the socialist BSP party participates, could sign a military cooperation agreement with Ukraine, Borissov stressed: «If the agreement is mutually beneficial, no party will oppose it.»
The BSP refuses to provide military aid to Ukraine. Despite its modest number of MPs (20 out of 240), the party could be an important coalition partner in a GERB-led government.
On the other hand, the GERB leader assured that the interim cabinet does not need a parliamentary mandate to sign the agreement with Ukraine.
Un “regalo” para Viktor Orbán
Minutos después de su discurso, Glavchev se pronunció sobre el tema desde Bruselas, donde asiste al Consejo Europeo para rechazar las acusaciones de que su decisión de solicitar un mandato de la Asamblea Nacional sea un intento de sabotear las negociaciones gubernamentales.
En ese sentido, subrayó que la única razón por la cual solicitó la aprobación de los diputados es la propuesta de que el acuerdo tenga una validez de diez años.
Por ello, Vessela Tcherneva, subdirectora del ECFR y ex asesora del ex primer ministro Kiril Petkov, explicó a Euractiv,bg que eso supone «un regalo» para el primer ministro húngaro Viktor Orbán, que visitará Sofía el viernes.
Petkov es el líder de Continuamos el Cambio, la segunda fuerza más importante del parlamento búlgaro. Sin ese partido es casi imposible formar gobierno. El partido respalda la firma del acuerdo de seguridad con Ucrania.
Según el analista político Vesselin Stoynev, Glavchev estaría actuando bajo órdenes de Delian Peevski, que dirige el partido DPS y se enfrenta a sanciones por corrupción en Estados Unidos. En su opinión, está tratando de sabotear las negociaciones para la formación del gobierno.
Stoynev calificó la actitud de Borissov de “vergonzosa”.
De hecho, la grieta geopolítica que se ha abierto entre GERB y Continuamos en Cambio amenaza con dinamitar la formación de una coalición de ese tipo.
///
Editado por Fernando Heller
