Outgoing Bulgarian PM rejects Russian ultimatum to expel diplomats
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Loading... - Sofia Chew
- 01 Jul 2022
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Bulgaria's outgoing Prime Minister Kiril Petkov on Friday rejected the Russian ultimatum to reverse a decision to expel 70 Russian diplomatic staff by noon and named the country's finance minister as his possible successor.
The Balkan nation, an European Union and NATO member state and once a close ally of Russia, has been roiled in recent days by political upheaval, which saw parliament pass a vote of no-confidence in the coalition government last week and Petkov this week announce the Russian expulsions on espionage concerns.
Russia responded by issuing an ultimatum on Thursday, which included a threat to close Russia's embassy unless Sofia reversed the expulsions, a move condemned by the EU on Friday as unjustified.
Petkov said in a video statement that Russia's behavior was unacceptable.
"We will not allow Bulgaria to take a wrong turn ... We will not allow foreign diplomats to give ultimatums to the Bulgarian state (to comply with their demands) by noon," he said.
Announcing that his centrist PP party would nominate Finance Minister Assen Vassilev to become the country's next prime minister, he also called on all his coalition partners to back his party's quest to uproot widespread corruption and to work to boost incomes.
The diplomatic dispute with Russia has fractured the government after one coalition ally, the Socialists, said they would not back a new government led by Petkov. Read More...
