Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski has urged calm amid the tensions in Ukraine.

"The situation in Ukraine is very strained. I call on all sides to abstain from provocations," Oresharski declared, adding that the turmoil was a threat to the security of Europe as a whole.

He noted that Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin would attend an emergency meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels, stressing that Bulgaria's decision on the matter would be made with a view to the stance of the other EU partners.

"We keep track of the developments on an hourly basis," he assured, adding that Bulgaria stood ready to respond if needed.

Oresharski took part in the celebrations of Bulgaria's National Holiday, March 3, and the 136th anniversary of the country's liberation from five centuries of Ottoman yoke.

"It is important that we remember our past and we remain proud of it. However, it is even more important to strive to prove worthy successors in the present," he declared in his statement on Mount Shipka.

Oresharski, as cited by Darik radio, also called on Bulgarians to be unified in their love for their homeland in order to achieve the common cause of national prosperity and development.