Bulgarian Parliament rejects socialist motion to reconsider sanctions against Russia

Bulgaria’s National Assembly has rejected, for a second time in a week, a proposal by the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party to debate reconsideration of support for sanctions imposed on Russia, which the BSP opposes because they are a “burden” on Bulgaria...

BSP MP Valeri Zhablyanov said on February 4 that his party wanted the debate to take place before the day’s scheduled meeting of the cabinet.

Zhablyanov said that the previous week, the majority in Parliament had rejected the need for this debate, but it was being conducted in Bulgarian society. “This debate is being conducted in Europe, and the more silent the National Assembly, the more bewilderment,” he said.

• Ahead of last week’s vote, BSP MP Kristian Vigenin said that sanctions against Russia had “failed” because the conflict in Ukraine had deepened, and there were economic losses for all.

Also at the February 4 sitting, far-right ultra-nationalist minority Ataka party leader Volen Siderov continued to claim that Bulgaria was “at war”, in spite of repeated denials by Defence Ministry leadership that Siderov’s previous claims of a “secret mobilisation” had no basis in reality.

Siderov said that Ataka was proposing amendments to citizenship laws to speed the granting of citizenship to people in Ukraine of Bulgarian origin.
[sofiaglobe.com]
4/2/15