Bulgarian Prime Minister Explains Decision to Expel 70 Russian Diplomats

Kirill Petkov

Outgoing Bulgarian Prime Minister Kirill Petkov said the decision to expel 70 Russian diplomats did not come from him personally, but was based on three reports from the State National Security Agency (SANS), BTA reports.

According to him, the reports are dated May and June, and some of the information refers to March. He noted that the expulsion was a lengthy process that began in March and was completed by the country's Foreign Ministry by notifying Russian diplomats that they must leave the country, and not by a decision made by him alone.

Petkov stressed that the idea that one person is responsible for the decision to expel 70 Russian diplomats and staff from Bulgaria is another attempt at political maneuvering.

Bulgaria decided to expel 70 employees of the Russian embassy Politics

Bulgaria's decision to expel 70 Russian diplomats became known on June 28. “We are expelling 70 Russian diplomats. Anyone who works for foreign interests will be deported to the country from which he came, ”Petkov said then. According to him, most of the exiled diplomats worked for the special services, and their diplomatic work was a cover. He noted that the plane with Russian diplomats will fly to Moscow on Sunday, July 3.

The Russian embassy clarified that not only diplomats, but also technical staff were declared persona non grata, TASS reported. The diplomatic mission clarified that the country would send an adviser - envoy of RUSSIA Philip Voskresensky, consuls general in Varna and Ruse, DIRECTOR of the cultural and information center. The Russian Foreign Ministry promised to respond to the expulsion of diplomats.

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Since the beginning of the year, Bulgaria has expelled employees of the Russian embassy several times. The first case was on March 2, when two diplomats were declared persona non grata, who, according to Sophia, were engaged in "intelligence" in the country. On March 18, Bulgaria decided to expel ten more diplomats, on April 1 - the first secretary of the Russian embassy, ​​against whom a criminal case was opened under Art. 104 of the Criminal Code of Bulgaria (espionage). Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanov was not expelled so as not to break off diplomatic relations between the countries, Petkov explained.