Some of the political forces expressed their positions before the start of the meeting of the Security Council of the Council of Ministers. The meeting of the Council has begun, the press service of the cabinet announced. The topic of the meeting, convened by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, is “Review and analysis of the current geopolitical situation and the resulting risks for national security”.
In addition to the permanent members of the Council, invitations to participate in the meeting have also been sent to the chairmen of all parliamentary groups.
The Council is an advisory body and is in connection with the Prime Minister's visit to Brussels, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov told journalists. EU leaders will meet at an extraordinary summit on March 6 to discuss additional support for Ukraine, European security guarantees and how to cover the funds needed for European defense, Reuters reported.
We will have to raise defense funds, it is no less important that they are used effectively. This means joining common European defense policies, so that not everyone saves themselves, but has a common position and structure, commented the co-chair of the parliamentary group of "Continuing the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" Nikolay Denkov. According to him, Bulgaria should be at the center of all discussions in which the fate of Europe is decided, because Bulgaria is in Europe.
This is a question that should be addressed to the prime minister, Denkov replied when asked why Bulgaria did not participate in the meeting in London this Sunday, where Ukraine's allies confirmed their support for this country and pledged to do more for European security.
How to ensure support for Ukraine so that it continues to fight for its country, and how to achieve peace - these are the two sides of the same question, Denkov pointed out.
The protection of the national interest is for Bulgaria to be at the core of active European countries that protect common European security and our country, said the co-chair of the parliamentary group of "Continuing Change - Democratic Bulgaria" Nadezhda Yordanova. Remaining on the periphery of this process is a betrayal of the national interest, lowering it is a betrayal of the national interest, said Yordanova. According to her, a way must be found to allocate more budget resources for defense.
It is good that there is a government, because voices for early elections are also being heard from certain political forces. I am convinced that the government will have an adequate position that will meet the expectations of Bulgarian citizens, said the chairman of the parliamentary group of "BSP - United Left" Dragomir Stoynev. The position of the BSP has been clear from the very beginning, in the first days of the conflict we stated that there should be peace as quickly as possible through diplomatic means, added Stoynev.
Let us first discuss and after the meeting we will have a comment, said the chairman of the parliamentary group "Democracy, Rights and Freedoms" – DPS Dzhevdet Chakarov.
Bulgaria needs rearmament. MECH's position is categorically for peace – military actions in Ukraine must stop, the chairman of the parliamentary group of "Morales, Unity, Honor" Kiril Veselinski.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented today a plan for the rearmament of the EU, which could reach 800 billion euros in the next five years. Europe is ready to take responsibility for its own defense, she said in a brief statement, after which she did not answer journalistic questions.