The governments of Bulgaria and Russia are currently tangled in complex diplomatic negotiations over the immunity status of the buildings of the Bulgarian Industrial Center in Moscow.
This was announced Thursday afternoon by Bulgaria’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Marin Raykov, just several hours after special forces of the Russian police raided the Center in order to search the apartment of Nikolay Nikolov, the representative of the Bulgarian firm Millenium 2001, which is suspected of producing and distributing pirate CDs outside of Moscow.
Later in the day Bulgarian businessman Konstantin Kostov, also representative of Millenium 2001, was arrested in Moscow.
Bulgaria claims that the administrative and residential building of the Bulgarian Industrial Center, which is the country’s largest real estate property abroad, enjoy diplomatic immunity status under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Raykov said that before carrying out the surprise raid at the Center, the Russian side had stated it was “very hard to recognize the diplomatic immunity status” of the buildings.
In his words, the Russian special forces of the Economic Security Department entered the Center with machine guns. They were temporarily stopped by Malina Bozhinova, the Director of the Center who does have diplomatic status herself.
In an exclusive interview for Novinite.com, a senior representative of the Russian police said the security officers behaved did not infringe in any way on the actual offices of the Industrial Center.
Albert Istomin, Deputy Head of the Press Center of the Economic Security Department, told Novinite.com that the Russian police had conducted a special operation searching the offices of a firm renting out residential space at the Bulgarian Industrial Center in Moscow.
According to Istomin, the firm in question is suspect of carrying out illegal business activities related to the production and distribution of pirate audio-visual items.
“The special operation did not infringe on the Bulgarian Industrial Center which has diplomatic immunity. Only space rented out by the suspected company at the residential building has been searched,” Istomin said.
Istomin has denied the reports of the staff of the Bulgarian Industrial Center that the special police officers who carried out the search behaved in a rude way. “Our officers have behaved absolutely properly towards the people on the spot and the Bulgarian diplomatic premises,” he said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Raykov explained Bulgaria was basing its claims for the diplomatic immunity of the buildings on an 1974 agreement between the People’s Republic of Bulgaria and the USSR.
At the order of PM Borisov, Raykov has instructed the Bulgarian Ambassador in Moscow to let the OMON police forces into the premises of the Center but only accompanied by representatives of the Embassy.
"This is the only way for us to guarantee the integrity of our claims - that the Center continues to have a diplomatic status, and that it can be entered only with the permission and accompanying of the Bulgarian Embassy staff," the Deputy Minister explained.
The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry and the Embassy in Moscow have made it clear to the Russian side they protested the invasion of the Industrial Center buildings by the Russian police.
The case is especially complicated by the fact that at the end of May 2009, right before the end of his term in office, the former Minister of Economy, Petar Dimitrov, issued an order renouncing the diplomatic functions of the buildings of the Bulgarian Industrial Center in Moscow, and thus changing its status.
Raykov also announced that the Director of the Center Bozhinova and the activities of the institution were currently under investigation over alleged violations.
Author: Bill, 5 Nov 2009 17:10:29
Bulgaria, Russia Tangled over Status of Raided Diplomatic Premise
This is a new one on me!
I knew diplomatic immunity was extended to embassies and consulates, their personnel, and presumabye their living quarters if they're outside the compound.
I have never before seen it applied to an industrial site.
Anybody have any input on this one?
Author: FIGMENT, 5 Nov 2009 17:31:41
Bulgaria, Russia Tangled over Status of Raided Diplomatic Premise
All sorts of crooks and swindlers are hiding their illegal activities behind diplomatic immunity. This place is manufacturing pirated CDs. They are criminals hiding behind diplomatic immunity. Russia should take them down and put them in jail.
Author: Pantudi, 5 Nov 2009 17:57:34
Bulgaria, Russia Tangled over Status of Raided Diplomatic Premise
FIGMENT, If this guy is crook who makes fake CD send him to Russian Jail, and later send him to Bulgarian Jail because he give Bulgaria very bad image.
Author: DrFaust, 5 Nov 2009 18:28:37
Bulgaria, Russia Tangled over Status of Raided Diplomatic Premise
Bill,
you can find the text of the treaty here:
http://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdf
Article 22 says clearly that "1.The premises of the mission shall be inviolable. The agents of the receiving State may not enter them, except with the consent of the head of the mission" and that "3.The premises of the mission, their furnishings and other property thereon and the means of transport of the mission shall be immune from search, requisition, attachment or execution."
When the information given in the article is correct, it seems that the building enjoyed this immunity only until May 2009. Then its status as premises of a diplomatic mission has been cancelled. That means that the Russian security organs have the right to enter even against the will of any Bulgarian officials.
Author: Bill, 5 Nov 2009 18:47:24
Bulgaria, Russia Tangled over Status of Raided Diplomatic Premise
DrFaust:
Not interested enough to look up the treaty. Enough for me was the use of the word, mission. If the Russians want to consider the site a diplomatic mission, I guess that's their business.
Author: DrFaust, 5 Nov 2009 18:53:45
Bulgaria, Russia Tangled over Status of Raided Diplomatic Premise
Bill,
"If the Russians want to consider the site a diplomatic mission, I guess that's their business."
I think you missed something here.The Russians DON'T want to consider the site a diplomatic mission. If a site is to be considered a diplomatic mission is based on a bilateral agreement until it is cancelled. This was done by the Bulgarians in May 2009, so the site doesn't have this status any more and the Russians have the right to enter.
Author: Philippe, 5 Nov 2009 19:00:45
Bulgaria, Russia Tangled over Status of Raided Diplomatic Premise
The Russians know very well what they were doing: stopping illegal activities on these premisses. And apparently Mr. Borisov agrees on that. The fact is that the BG diplomats overthere, also knew what was happening there. They should have cleaned the house before bringing the country in bad perspectives once more!
In fa
Author: Bill, 5 Nov 2009 19:02:56
Bulgaria, Russia Tangled over Status of Raided Diplomatic Premise
DrFaust:
Now that makes sense. At least it isn't the problem the New York Police have to deal with. Hundreds of illegally parked cars with diplomatic immunity from the UN headquarters.
Author: Philippe, 5 Nov 2009 19:29:37
Bulgaria, Russia Tangled over Status of Raided Diplomatic Premise
In fact, I've witnessed some stories about members of the BG mission in Belgium (5-10 years ago). You cannot imagine what scandalous activities they have been into, all under the umbrella and on the expenses of the BG state, covered by immunity as commercial attaché. A SHAME!
And many people say good words about Mrs. Kuneva, but she also did not do a thing about it, although she knew quit well what was happening there, spending her time in Brussels. Same for Mrs. Grancharova! (or should I say Mrs. Passy or Passya or Passionata?).
Back in 1998 there were rumours that EU-VISA were for sale through the Belgian embassy in Sofia. One of those days, I had an appointment with the BE ambassador. Upon my arrival in the embassy, I found a total chaos. Brussels foreign affairs had (unanounced) send in a squad to check the whole business there. The ambassador appologized for the inconvenience (the man had lost all color), and months later, he was cleared by a Belgian court.
To my knowledge, the only time an action has been undertaken against a member of a BG mission, was the case with the ambassador in Berlin, who was found completely drunk by the German Polizei.
What a joke!
Author: DrFaust, 5 Nov 2009 20:03:20
Bulgaria, Russia Tangled over Status of Raided Diplomatic Premise
Philippe,
what I find even more puzzling than the incompetence of a part of the BG ambassadors and diplomats abroad (and the fact that many of them are mainly occupied with their private business activities) is that most of them are former(?) secret agents that got a hardcore KGB training and are personally involved and responsible for crimes committed by that system (or its aftermaths). But it is not surprising, in a country where a creature like Bozhidar Dimitrov is minister, and proud to be a criminal.
