Rumen Petkov before FACTS: The way is clear - unification of the left **** The strong left is a process of distinction w

< em>For every socialist, Buzludzha is a symbol. For more than 130 years, the Socialist Party has gathered at the top, and this is indeed a great celebration. For another year, in a few days, the National Assembly of the Left will be held there. And then what… Rumen Petkov, chairman of the ABV party, spoke to FAKTI.

- Mr. Petkov, a big event for left-wing people in Bulgaria is approaching - the Buzludzha gathering. Then what?
- Quite a long way was traveled in a very short time, a huge way. And all this is in favor of the left space in Bulgaria. I am convinced, if we exclude my point of view and speak without unnecessary pathos and optimism, that the gathering of Buzludzha will be the point that will make the process of unification of the left irreversible. Buzludzha is a symbol, a story, it even unites the very idea of the left. And this is because we left-wing people have made such a commitment in the eyes of the voters, even before the sensible, patriotic voters in Bulgaria, that the left must be united. This is how we respond to public attitudes, because people want a strong left.

- In recent days, we have been observing processes of disunity in the DPS, and such processes have been going on in the BSP for years. And that's because…
- I would like each of us – I mean the left-wing people, to have an active participation in the unification of the left-wing space. We dwell too much on the past, and it is better to have faith and take a step towards the future. The way is clear - unification of the left. Everyone has to find the right place to be useful because not all of us have to be on the front line. I no longer see myself as a candidate for national representative, but as a person who has been involved in public and political life for many years, who has experience in culture, in sports, I would work with this experience. In general, the unification of the left must be a conscious process, which, if we want a stable, strong and solid Bulgaria, must happen.

We cannot have a strong parliament if we do not have a strong left-wing formation in this parliament.

Here I want to emphasize a huge difference between what we are doing now and a formation like PP-DB. PP-DB are the project. What is a project? It's something that someone finances and does for their own account, and then looks for dividends. The strong left is a distinctive process with such projects as “revivals“, “rises“ and so on.

- With the third mandate, do you see an option for a cabinet, because we are on the threshold of its delivery?
- For me, the issue of calming down the political situation in our country goes through elections. Only in elections do citizens have the opportunity to actually choose who will represent them.

Agree that it is not normal for a person waving a middle finger at a screen to explain to us exactly what the political space will look like after the election.

Somehow it is systematically suggested by the screen, by the strangest analysts, that when elections come, we will get the same again. Well, we will not get the same, because the citizens must understand that by voting they are giving the opportunity and charge to such type of pathetic people, for whom fraud is a matter of life essence, to participate in politics. Is it normal to make Bulgaria a partner of a bankrupt company, to announce loudly that you are starting the construction of a factory for electric cars in Lovech… And so to participate in something that is a huge fraud, in which you have made the leadership of a member state of the European Union complicit in fraud. This is terrifying. And what's even more terrifying is that there are still people who believe you. I am far from thinking that any of our leading media – I mean the private national televisions, have the attitude, the willingness and the integrity to say these things to the voters.

- We are talking about mandates, about a cabinet, but where are the topics like the Eurozone, where is the full Schengen, because now we are partial…
- The subject of Schengen is one of the great betrayals by our European partners towards Bulgaria. I am referring to the non-admission of our country to the Schengen area. We have fulfilled absolutely all requirements. But here too there is politics.

Somehow the fact that the Bulgarian governments during the last 6-7-8 years were not able to protect our interest is not mentioned.

Because of lack of capacity, and because of pressure, but they failed to protect the national interest, and we are losing because of that. The accounts of the carriers show that annually we lose about a billion euros with them alone. I leave aside our economy, our industry. Greek ports are also being hit. Recently, my colleagues and I were at a SYRIZA congress in Greece, because genocide is taking place on Greek ports. Everything unloaded in Greece automatically enters Europe. But Greek ports today are not that attractive center. I won't comment on their ownership – Chinese, Russian, Georgian, etc. But our governments simply did nothing to protect us. There is another topic here, which is used extremely ugly and speculatively. It is about the parking lots at the border points.

- This is a topic that is commented on and written about a lot. Who manages them how, who manages them…
- Look, there are such parking lots everywhere. The great success of Pencho Milkov - the mayor of Ruse, was to make several such parking lots. Before their construction, Rousse was blocked with the approaches to it by shooting ramps due to the impossibility of crossing the Danube bridge.

So with the construction of these parking lots, because we have a municipal councilor in Ruse and we monitor things, a general problem of the city was solved.

And Ruse currently has a completely different attractive appearance that allows people to move freely. But, at the same time, we constantly hear from some people who happen to be in the National Assembly, what a problem it is that we have parking lots. But these people do not realize that this is a practice throughout Europe, they are just making noise. Let's remember what was around Vidin, when the tires were overtaking, when the drivers were fighting, when our carriers insisted on order. And now, when this order has finally been put in place, our people - nationally represented, are explaining to the public what the mafia was with the parking lots.

Okay, PP-DB had all the power when Kiril Petkov was prime minister, and then during the “assembly”.

Why PP-DB did not define who the mafia is… Aren't they wrestlers… Otherwise, when elections are scheduled, someone always starts the topic and attacks those who have business there, who have put things in order together with the state. In order to build such a facility, a series of agreements and permits are needed - from the municipality, from the Ministry of the Environment, from the regional ministry. In general, this is a serious investment that, instead of welcoming, we begin to criticize without seeing what they are doing in Poland, in the Baltic countries, in neighboring Turkey, if you will, where such parking lots have been built. And we use the subject here in an ugly and speculative way. Thus, Bulgaria loses its authority in the eyes of our partners, because we allow steps and actions under the influence of foreign interests, but without being able to protect our own interest. Why doesn't anyone ask what happened to the X-ray of "Captain Andreevo"? Is one of the problems with the x-ray, which identifies road vehicles and railway wagons, not the result of vested interests and people who have to take the x-ray, but are “secured” from those interested that there should be no such X-ray… The question is open.

- Is the Eurozone a mirage or are we taking small steps? A European Central Bank report came out soon that we are lagging behind with inflation?
- In general, we have three or four speakers on the topic of the "eurozone" who appear on TV, but we do not have a real public debate, do we need it today. We have no debate about what to expect from the Eurozone. Something is thrown in front of us like tomorrow, almost, we switch to the euro and solve our problems. And why are there countries in the EU, such as Poland, that do not want to enter the eurozone? The Poles explained this with a very clear statement. We simply do not want to see our interest, and the “speakers” they are simply participating in an ugly manipulation. The Eurozone will take our leva, that's clear. And what is the other thing? So let's not be too quick to jump where we don't belong. Let it happen when we are ready, let us walk with self-confidence on the path of Bulgaria and defend our interests.