Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who attended a two-day European Council meeting in Brussels, told Bulgarian journalists here on Friday that he supports a proposal by France and Germany for a summit between the EU and Russia. "I strongly supported and welcomed this initiative to update the strategy on EU-Russia relations," he noted.

"This is not just about the attitude towards Russia but about the level of our ambitions about the global role of our Union. Will we be a global factor or a bystander in the global scene, where global players like the US, China and Russia compete? I reminded all leaders that we all signed the Rome Declaration in 2017, which clearly implies that Europe must be a strategic factor on the global scene," the President pointed out. "Geopolitics requires realism. The seven years of sanctions [against Russia] have not produced the desired results. We need to seek new tools to pursue our relations with Russia, and especially de-escalate [the tensions]. We share a common European space with Russia, in terms of climate, health and security. We both merely stand to lose from confrontation,'' the head of State said further.

"The initiative launched by Chancellor Merkel and President Macron is a proposal that makes sense. Although it was not included in the final communique because of the apprehensions of some Member States, this form of dialogue will find a way to be implemented sooner or later," Radev predicted.

Hungary's LGBT+ Law He also commented on discussions in the European Council regarding a controversial Hungarian law on the LGBT+ community. The legislation was originally meant to toughen punishments for child abuse but, according to critics, its final amendments conflate paedophilia with homosexuality, banning the ''promotion of homosexuality" to under 18-year olds. "Some rather emotional statements were made, but nothing dramatic happened.

The rumours that because of this law Hungary will be expelled from the EU or will leave on its own are greatly exaggerated. This cannot possibly happen," Radev told Bulgarian journalists in Brussels. "Condemning Hungary will not solve the problem. European values, such as freedom, tolerance and human dignity, were mentioned time and again during the debate. I insisted that we should be careful about how these terms are defined and the way they are used and not employ them as cliches in this dialogue. Yes, the right to self-determination is a fundamental value and it must be upheld, but nobody has the right to impose their values, ideas and worldview on others," Radev said. NV/DT/LG

Source: BTA/ Brussels