January 6 (BTA) - Bulgarian politicians on Thursday continued to comment on reports that NATO may ask Bulgaria to agree to an increased Allied presence on its territory because of the Russian military build-up along the border with Ukraine. President Rumen Radev commented that he expects the Ukraine crisis to be resolved through dialogue rather than by more arms and in Parliament, the smallest Vazrazhdane party read out a declaration saying that accepting increased NATO presence in Bulgaria would be "national betrayal".

"I expect the crisis in Ukraine to be settled by further dialogue and diplomatic means," President Rumen Radev commented to journalists on Thursday. "It should be crystal clear that an ensuing escalation of tensions [after a reciprocating military build-up] will destabilize not only our own region but all Europe. The crisis in Ukraine will not be settled by the use or threat of force, it will not be settled by more arms and more military power, but by dialogue and more diplomacy," the head of State pointed out. He specified that nobody has asked Bulgaria for anything for the time being.

Defence Minister Stefan Yanev said, for his part, that "the decisions that NATO takes are decisions in which Bulgaria shares on an equal footing". "The insinuation that somebody is telling us what to do and we must do somebody's bidding is fundamentally wrong," he argued.

Yanev was approached for comment after he wrote in a Facebook post on December 21 that deploying additional NATO troops in Bulgaria would be unjustifiable because, in his opinion, at this stage there is no reason to consider the said processes on Russia's side as a direct threat to the Alliance and its security and such a debate can potentially cause an unnecessary escalation of tensions in the region. A day later, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov pointed out that "this topic has not been discussed either by the Council of Ministers or by our partners. Statements on this topic were strictly the Defence Minister's personal opinion and did not express the Government's official position."

Yanev confirmed on Thursday that the Bulgarian Government has not taken a decision and noted that the situation does not warrant a comment and there is no need to speculate about what could or could not happen.

He declined to comment on Petkov's words that no minister is entitled to an opinion of their own on matters that concern Bulgaria as a whole. "When the time comes for this matter to be addressed at the Council of Ministers, the opinion will be consensual," Yanev said. He denied that he, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister are divided over the issue.

Nationalists Pledge to Resist "National Betrayal"

"Vazrazhdane opposes the deployment of more NATO troops in Bulgaria and insists on terminating the agreement on joint Bulgarian-US military facilities in Bulgarian territory," the nationalist party said in a declaration that its MP Elena Guncheva read in Parliament on Thursday.

Vazrazhdane argued that "nobody had asked the Bulgarian people whether they want to be a NATO member or to have US troops on Bulgarian soil". "Nobody asked us whether we want to turn into a front against Russia or any other country," Guncheva added.

"We do realize that some Bulgarian politicians are dependent on foreign embassies, but history has showed that there is no forgiveness for treason. Bulgaria must safeguard its sovereignty, and this can only be done by an independent and strong Bulgarian army. Those who are reluctant to feed their own army are bound to feed a foreign one, as is already the case," Vazrazhdane also claimed.

The party urged all Bulgarian politicians to protect their country's sovereignty and not turn into national traitors and expressed its determination to resist "the latest in a series of national betrayals by all possible means".

On December 21, "24 Chassa" reported, quoting its sources, that the US is pressuring Bulgaria to accept a permanent contingent of at least 5,000-5,500 American soldiers to be transferred from Germany. The rotation of a reinforced US contingent can circumvent the three-month time limit for the stationing of US troops in Bulgarian territory. Alternatively, the military presence in Bulgaria and Romania could be increased through the NATO enhanced forward presence battlegroups.

Approached by the daily, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said that "troops have not been discussed in detail so far". "I would also like to point out our strong belief that the best way to support the EU and NATO's policy regarding our eastern border is through peaceful and diplomatic means," the PM added a day later. LN/KK/LG