H.E Emma Hopkins: We Want the Bulgarians to Stay in the UK

Novinite Insider » INTERVIEW | August 19, 2019, Monday // 13:47
Bulgaria: H.E Emma Hopkins: We Want the Bulgarians to Stay in the UK

On Sunday, the Sunday Times published a document saying the UK would be hit by "shortages of fuel, food and medicine if it left the European Union without an agreement and also threatened to disrupt ports and a hard border with Ireland." This is shown by documents of the British Government / so-called. Operation Yellowhammer.

Her Excellency Emma Hopkins, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Bulgaria since 2015, commented to BNR forecasts published in the publication that talk about traffic delays under the English Channel due to customs checks, the return of the hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, fuels, etc.

"What the Sunday Times reports reflects the current work of the British Government on the issue of the agreement, and I must tell you that all aspects, not only of trade but of everything else, are treated very carefully and precisely. Of course, no one knows exactly what conditions will emerge, but we would like to prevent every possible bad result, because really what is needed is to consult both the business and the people on how to act. In addition, there is a need for secondary legislation to wrap everything in the right frame of mind. "

Ambassador Hopkins does not expect a twist on the subject of Brexit because of a poll made by the Independent shows that only 34% want Prime Minister Johnson to do Brexit without an agreement on October 31, and 49% call for either postponing or canceling Brexit altogether, or hold a new referendum on:

"Our government, now headed by Boris Johnson, has made it very clear that on October 31st we are leaving, leaving the European Union with or without a deal. Of course, it is preferable to leave it with a deal, but we think this is a question that has been going on for quite some time. "

On July 23, 140 years of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and the United Kingdom have been completed. Asked if diplomatic history would matter about what would happen to the rights of Bulgarian citizens in Britain after Brexit, Ambassador Hopkins commented on Horizon's "Before All" program:

"We really have a deep and very rich relationship. I am pleased to say that we can contribute to strengthening, consolidating, deepening and enriching them, whether we are in Brussels or not. We want the Bulgarians to stay and we take this very seriously. We are currently working on a scheme that allows all Bulgarians who have benefited from this scheme to continue to use the situation. We want the Bulgarians to come because every year many of them who come make some contribution. We would like to continue this trend in 2020-2021. We are working very seriously with our Bulgarian colleagues (on the rights of British citizens in our country - BR) and they have introduced a legislation under which British citizens can enjoy of the same rights and the same situation. We are very pleased because this is a mutual agreement of mirror relations. "

The investigation into the poisoning of Emilian Gebrev, which announced in February that a British team is being included, is continuing, the ambassador said. Regarding the hacking attack on the NRA, she stated:

"One of the things we are dealing with is supporting every country to solve such problems from its own perspective. We fully rely on our Bulgarian colleagues. They can also fully rely on our assistance in terms of expertise and the opportunities with which we can assist them. Bulgaria is not the only country where infrastructure is threatened and we will do everything we can to help this threat not come out and, for example, threaten our citizens as well. "

The United Kingdom appreciates Bulgaria's response to the Skripal case, the diplomat said, pointing out that Sofia "very much supported the Hague Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. In order to continue in the same direction, we needed this support. Not to mention that Bulgaria also backed United Nations sanctions in the case of Russia. "

Prior to becoming Britain's first female ambassador to Sofia, H.E Emma Hopkins led the British government's campaign to end sexual violence in war zones. She commented on the first World Press Freedom Conference held in London recently:

"Our position is that freedom of the media is critical to democracy. This means that governments, individuals, and businesses must make an impact

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Tags: Emma Hopkins, Brexit, deal, UK, Bulgaria

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