Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria is seriously concerned with the situation in Libya, its Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has declared in Brussels.
“I urge the Libyan authorities to stop the ongoing violence by any possible means. We also call for a national dialogue in Libya, which can tackle the righteous reform demands while the country's territory remains intact,” Mladenov has said on Monday, the Foreign Ministry has announced.
The Bulgarian Foreign Minister said he expects from Libya's authorities to guarantee the security of all Bulgarian citizens in Libya and to provide cooperation to all of them who wish to leave the country.
Earlier on Monday, Mladenov stated before the Bulgarian National Radio that Bulgaria has set in full motion an evacuation plan for the country's citizens who are currently in Libya, There are some There are about 500 Bulgarians in Libya with 60 of them in the Benghazi area, he said.
He said his Ministry was on stand-by and fully prepared for an independent Bulgarian evacuation or for a joint one with another European country. He reiterated warnings Bulgarians should avoid all travel to Libya, and recommenced to those located in the eastern Libyan regions to not attempt to reach Tripoli since information who controls what areas is contradictory.
Meanwhile, leading international agencies report the situation in Tripoli is becoming more and more serious with security forces abandoning the city or taking part in the looting of stores and banks. Several government buildings, police precincts and the TV building have been rampaged or set on fire.