Sofia, September 24 (BTA) - Two Russian diplomats implicated in
espionage and declared personae non gratae on Wednesday and the
current political crisis, in which protesters have been rallying
 daily for 77 days now to demand the resignations of the Cabinet
 and the Prosecutor General were among the hot issues commented
by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and President Rumen
Radev on Thursday. Radev was speaking as he attended the
Thracian Viper 2020 exercise at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base
(South Central Bulgaria), while Borissov posted his remarks on
Facebook.

Russian spies

Borissov: "As far back as several years ago, I warned President
Putin that there were things which wouldn't be tolerated in the
territory of Bulgaria, and everyone involved in espionage will
be expelled according to the applicable procedure. If the State
Agency for National Security and the prosecution service have
taken such action, it means that they have enough information."
 
Radev: "National interests and national security are the top
priorities. There can be no compromise in this case. I hope that
 the security services and prosecutors have collected the
requisite evidence to minimize the diplomatic repercussions
because they are unavoidable."

Radev drew a parallel between the Russian spies case and a
recent "Der Spiegel" story about the role of Borissov and former
 prosecutor general Sotir Tsatsarov in handing over to Turkey an
 opponent of Erdogan, Abdullah Buyuk. "There should be clear
information on what this spying scandal is all about - just as
we need to have a clear answer about the 'Der Spiegel' story
which makes serious accusations that the Bulgarian prosecution
service has put itself at the service of a foreign power. [...]
We need to have very clear standards about everything that
undermines our national security," said the President.

Political crisis

Borissov: "Many of the extraparliamentary parties as well as
several parliamentary parties are trying to win voters several
months before the elections." He recalled that two types of
elections were held quite recently and asked what calls for
parliamentary elections several months ahead of their due date.

Reacting to a statement by Deputy Prime Minister Krassimir
Karakachanov that the head of government and the head of State
should engage in a dialogue so that an expert cabinet could be
formed to serve out the term of the incumbent government, the PM
 commented that "this suits GERB but is not right." "Such a
decision would not be responsible on our part." "For the time
being, the Government remains in its present format. Everything
can be done in the name of Bulgaria, as long as there is
dialogue," he added.

The PM described Radev as "a political player already, not
impartial, strongly politically biassed."

Asked whether he sees any room for dialogue with the Government,
 Radev said: "I have been clear about this: I see no point in
being pushed into a setup in which dialogue is meant as an
exculpation for the night stands, the recordings, the vicious
government and corruption." "To go ahead with dialogue, it needs
 to be placed on a solid groundwork, which means telling the
truth about all corruption schemes that have existed and
continue to exist in Bulgaria. Unless we do so, any government
that comes from now on will carry on this vicious model,
exculpating everybody. We must put an end to exculpations,"
Radev argued.

The President was apparently referring to leaked pictures of the
 Prime Minister's bedside table drawers stuffed with wads of 500
 euro banknotes and gold bars and discrediting voice recordings
which have been leaked to the media over the last couple of
months. Borissov has dismissed the pictures as fake.

"The dirty cops and the oligarchs in Radev's inner circle made a
 fantastic job of the dirty-cop stunt with the pictures and the
recordings, but I don't know why, speaking of recordings, we
don't discuss the ones featuring himself and which, however,
were made lawfully. Everything will come out soon!" The
reference is to wiretaps, published by the prosecution service,
in which Radev and the Commander of the Bulgarian Air Force
(BAF), Major General Tsanko Stoikov, were heard discussing by
phone ways of reacting to a check by the Counter-Corruption
Commission into the appointment of Desislava Gencheva as PR
officer of the BAF in 2014, when Radev was BAF Commander.
Gencheva and Radev were married shortly before he was elected
President in 2017.

COVID-19

Discussing the coronavirus and the economic relief measures,
Borissov boasted that Bulgaria "had the quickest and most
adequate response to the health and economic aspects of the
COVID-19 pandemic". "Our measures were put in place very early
and applied to many. Over 300,000 jobs have been retained under
the 60/40 scheme alone."

The caption of a photo included in the post said that 9,000
employers received support, 180,000 jobs were retained and 186
million leva were paid out under the 60/40 scheme by July 1.
Under the redesigned measure, over 3,803 employers have received
 support, 131,000 jobs have been kept, and 122 million leva paid
 out,

Since May 13, the jobless total has been dropping by between 400
 and 500 daily. The job retention measures and the unemployment
compensation will cost 1.4 billion leva. Bulgaria has requested
512 million euro under the SURE instrument to fight
unemployment, the post reads. RI/PP, LN, LG