NW 15:10:01 24-09-2020
LN1511NW.353
107 POLITICS-PRIME MINISTER-REMARKS

PM, President Comment on
Hot Topics Including Russian Spies,
Political Crisis, Pandemic


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
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