Sofia, January 21 (BTA) - Bulgaria on Friday reacted to a desire expressed by Russia that NATO withdraw its troops from the country.

Asked "what will Russia's demand that NATO return to the 1997 framework mean for Bulgaria and Romania? Will they have to leave NATO, remove US bases from their territory, or something else," the Russian Foreign Ministry answered on Friday that "we are talking about the withdrawal of foreign forces, equipment, and weapons, as well as taking other steps to return to the set-up we had in 1997 in non-NATO countries. This includes Bulgaria and Romania." The Ministry described this as "one of the cornerstones of Russia's initiatives" which was "deliberately set forth with utmost clarity to avoid any ambiguity".

The question was prompted by a draft agreement on security guarantees between Russia and the United States and a draft agreement on ensuring the security of Russia and NATO member states, released by the Russian Foreign Ministry on December 17, 2021.

Prime Minister Kiril Petkov

Addressing Parliament, Petkov stated: "From this rostrum today I would like to state very clearly: Bulgaria is a sovereign state and we have long made our choice by becoming a member of NATO. As such, we will decide alone how to organize the defense of our country, in coordination with our allies. The Washington Treaty does not provide for second category member states to which the collective defense is to be applied selectively or within a limited scope."

"We call on the the Russian Federation to remain engaged in the constructive dialog to de-escalate tension and to work for a safer Europe, based on the rule of law and the strict implementation of the international legal commitments," the head of government said.

President Rumen Radev

President Rumen Radev described Russia's insistence on a NATO troop withdrawal from Bulgaria as "unacceptable and pointless."

"There are no permanently stationed Allied contingents and combat equipment in our country," the head of State said in a position, quoted by his Press Secretariat.

"Our country does not accept peremptory demands from anybody," the position reads further on.

Foreign Ministry

"We call on the Russian Federation to respect Bulgaria's conscious foreign-policy choice in favour of NATO membership and the judgments of Bulgaria's Constitutional Court," the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its website later on Friday.

The Ministry urged Russia to stay committed to constructive dialogue with the NATO member countries through the NATO-Russia Council "for the future of a more united and more secure Europe based on rule of law and strict observance of international legal commitments."

The Foreign Ministry noted that the national territories of the NATO member countries are territories of the Alliance. "The Washington Treaty does not provide for 'second-class' member countries for which collective defence is applied selectively or on a limited scale." In this sense, based on a judgment of Bulgaria's Constitutional Court, NATO troops are not foreign troops if their transit through, or stay in, Bulgaria is related to the honouring of Allied commitments, the Foreign Ministry said.

It insisted on the use of diplomatic means and dialogue to tackle the European security crisis and the Ukrainian crisis.

Defence Ministry

"Bulgaria is a sovereign country which uses its own judgment in defining and implementing its domestic and foreign policy and in choosing what line of conduct to follow in international relations and what alliances to join," the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said in a position circulated to the media on Friday.

"Our future is up to us. Decisions concerning Bulgaria are made by the legitimate Bulgarian authorities in accordance with the Constitution and the national legislative framework," the Ministry said. "Our national interests are and will continue to be a point of departure for each decision and step that we take," the position reads.

In its opinion, the position of the Russian Foreign Ministry can hardly qualify as a positive sign within the context of the intense diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions along NATO's eastern flank.

It pointed to the need for a pragmatic approach to the problems at a time of renewed dialogue at the NATO-Russia Council. "If the Russian Federation has any concerns about its security which are related to Bulgaria, they should be raised, including at the bilateral level. So far, we have not been approached with questions of such nature."

"The conduct exhibited by the Russian Federation can hardly fit into the framework of the efforts to address security issues through dialogue and diplomacy," the Defence Ministry said.

Parliamentary Groups

On Friday, the GERB-UDF Parliamentary Group issued a declaration urging the Government and the President to immediately take an unambiguous stand on "the Russian threats and behaviour". They asked President Rumen Radev to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Consultative Council on National Security to address these issues, as well as for an urgent meeting of the Parliamentary Defence Committee at which Defence Minister Stefan Yanev can be heard about what the Government is doing and planning to safeguard national defence.

GERB-UDF insisted that the legislature discuss Russia's desire for a withdrawal of NATO troops from Bulgaria and Romania and asked the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and the Defence Minister to appear in Parliament for a debate on the threats to national security.

GERB-UDF further asked the Cabinet to include without delay defence spending amounting to 2 per cent of GDP in the 2022 State budget, as well as to solicit clear messages from the NATO allies that at a time of direct threats the Alliance would stand up for its values and commitments to Bulgaria.

Hristo Ivanov MP of Democratic Bulgaria (which is part of the ruling coalition) also said that Bulgaria has made its clear and unambiguous choice. "Our national security is guaranteed in alliance with NATO. I would like to state very clearly on behalf of Democratic Bulgaria that we confirm this choice, will develop our participation in NATO, and will not yield to Russian provocations seeking to revert us to the policy of the so-called spheres of influence," Ivanov said.

"The Bulgarian position should seek de-escalation of the conflict," Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov told journalists in Parliament. "Unfortunately, what we are seeing is that the tensions are whipped up by NATO," he said, adding that all that the past few weeks have seen is talk about how the Russians will invade Ukraine any time now. "Bulgaria is currently voiceless, we are currently acting as if we're a territory in which someone else is making their geopolitical moves," Kostadinov said.

"Bulgaria has long ago made its geopolitical choice, and it is membership of NATO and the EU," Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Mustafa Karadayi wrote in a Facebook post in connection with Russia's desire that NATO pull out its troops from Romania and Bulgaria.

"The MRF, as a party, through its leader Dr Ahmed Dogan, made its choice back at the dawn of democratic changes, long before all other political entities. Our sovereign and conscious choice is NATO and the EU and it does not need a review," the MRF leader wrote. RY, DD/MY, LG, VE