Bulgarian Nationalists Furious at PM for Backing Turkey EU Bid

Politics » BULGARIA IN EU | October 4, 2010, Monday // 17:07
Bulgaria: Bulgarian Nationalists Furious at PM for Backing Turkey EU Bid Bulgaria's support for Turkey's EU bid declared by Borisov (right) together with Erdogan (left) in Sofia enraged some Bulgarian nationalists while those backing the Cabinet have kept quiet. Photo by BGNES

Nationalist party VMRO has been enraged by Prime Minister Borisov's statement that Bulgaria supported Turkey's EU membership that he made at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Erdogan in Sofia.

VMRO recently collected 330 000 signatures in support of a demand to hold a referendum in Bulgaria on the EU accession of its neighbor Turkey. They have threatened to call up the 330 000 people who signed their referendum petition for nation-wide protests in reaction to the policies of the Bulgarian government on Turkey's EU bid.

Under Bulgarian legislation, if a referendum demand is backed by 500 000 citizens, a referendum has to be schedule; if it is backed by fewer than 500 000 but more than 200 000, the Parliament is obliged to hold a debate and a vote on whether to schedule a referendum.

In a statement Monday made in reaction to Borisov's declaration support for Turkey's EU candidacy, in which he also said a referendum on Turkish EU accession will be on the agenda only after Turkey completes its negotiations, the VMRO party protested vigorously and accused the ruling party of violating the laws.

The three-month period of the submission of the 330 000 signatures within which the Parliament is supposed to vote on whether to hold such a referendum is expiring on October 14, and no respective debate has been scheduled.

"If this vote does not take place, this will be a brutal and abrupt violation of the law for the direct participation of the citizens in state and local government," the VMRO party said.

"We are not insisting on holding a referendum on Turkey's EU accession today or this year. We demand that the law is obeyed, and that we know if a referendum will be scheduled or not. We suggest that the Parliament schedule such a referendum for the day after Turkey closes its last chapter from its EU accession negotiations," the nationalists stated.

They further slammed Borisov for materializing their fears that he and Erdogan will strike a backstage deal.

According to VMRO, Turkey's EU membership will mean a de facto liquidation of the Third Bulgarian State.

"Given the lack of efficient obstacles before Turkish capital, the entire Bulgarian economy will end up in Turkish hands. Not to mention the unresolved issues such as the billions that Turkey owes Bulgaria under the Ankara Treaty of 1925 as compensations for the properties of the Bulgarian refugees who fled European Turkey," the nationalists say.

The VMRO party is not represented in the Bulgarian Parliament at present as it has been squeezed out in recent years by a more prominent nationalist formation, the Ataka party of Volen Siderov.

At present, the Ataka party is a staunch supporter of the Borisov government, and is keeping quiet on all issues related to Turkey. This was not the case during Erdogan's past visit to Bulgaria a couple of year ago when Ataka leader Volen Siderov waited for the Turkish PM in the halls of the Bulgarian Parliament demanding from him answers on the compensation issue and other problems.

The VMRO-BND party is technically supposed to be a descendant of the Internal Macedonia and Trace Revolutionary Organization (VMORO) founded in 1893 to liberate the Bulgarians who remained in the Ottoman Empire after the Berlin Treaty of 1878.

A party with the same name, VMRO-DPMNE, is in power in neighboring Macedonia led by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

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Tags: nationalist, VMRO, compensation, Referendum, Turkey EU membership, Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, turkey

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