Kornelia Ninova

Bulgaria will not fulfill the ultimatum set yesterday by Russia - to revise its decision on the expulsion of 70 people - diplomats and employees from Moscow's missions in our country.

"It became clear that the work on the issue of expelled Russian diplomats has not been conducted recently, but started in March - there are reports, then 3 reports from SANS, then the Security Council with all services", said the resigned Prime Minister Kiril Petkov today in the corridors of the National Assembly after negotiations with the BSP parliamentary group.

Less than 24 hours after the expulsion of 70 Russian diplomats, BSP leader Kornelia Ninova announced that the Bulgarian Socialist Party has suspended all negotiations with "We Continue the Change" to form a cabinet.

"In recent weeks, the issue of arms exports to Ukraine has been used harshly. An accusation has been made that we speak one thing in public and do another behind the scenes. And while we claimed that we did not export a single cartridge, they claimed that tons of weapons for billions of levs were sold at night with intermediaries".

"President Radev and Vice President Yotova began attacking the government in the first month. I had no explanation for why so quickly the president who created Petkov's party 'We Continue the Change', who launched them into power, attacked them.

"We Continue the Change" (WCC) is ready to take the first term to form a government and try to find 121 independent deputies for the new cabinet.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov in Brussels in May 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria did not provide a diplomatic permit for Russian flights over Bulgarian territory that have on board the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov with a note from June 1.

This is stated in the position of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry.

June 2 - Botev's Day is celebrated with a traditional national pilgrimage to Okolchitsa peak.

The emblematic verse "He who falls in the fight for freedom, he does not die" was again proclaimed on the mountainous Vratsa Balkan, where hundreds gathered to pay tribute to the Bulgarian heroes, 146 years after the heroic death of the poet-revolutionary.

Leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Kornelia Ninova told bTV that Russia is a friendly country towards Bulgaria. According to her, this is the opinion of the majority of Bulgarians, and therefore a large percentage did not want to send military aid to Ukraine, which has been the subject of military action by Russia since February 24.