US Ambassador: Assassination Attempts in Bulgaria Troubling

The latest assassination attempts in Bulgaria – against ethnic Turkish politician Ahmed Dogan and mafia boss Zlatomir 'Beret' Ivanov, aka Zlatko Baretata, are "troubling", according to US Ambassador Marcie Ries.

Ries gave Wednesday a keynote lecture organized by the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria.

"These attacks are troubling. Violence is never the answer," Her Excellency said, adding that she was expecting the political statements of the Bulgarian government.

According to Ries, the latest assassination attempts will not bring Bulgaria back to the days of lawlessness that it experienced in the past but are a matter of grave concern, and require the respective government measures.

"Recent events have demonstrated that there is considerable interest in Bulgaria in having a prosecution service and a national judiciary that can truly uphold the rule of law.  And there has been progress in that regard," the US Ambassador stated in her lecture.

"There is a lot of work to be done.  The US is committed to assisting Bulgarian efforts to reform the legal system so that the process of administering justice can be efficient and effective, but ours is a supporting role – the impetus and energy has to come from Bulgarians," she said.

Full Text of US Ambassador Marcie Ries's keynote lecture at the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria read in the Diplomatic Channel section HERE