The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned our ambassador to Kiev Kostadin Kojabashev because of the words of Rumen Radev during the election debate yesterday with Prof. Anastas Gerdjikov. The head of state said Crimea "is currently Russian territory." Radev explained that his position is the same as in 2016 - "it is important to have pragmatism in foreign policy. Sanctions imposed on Russia because of Crimea and Ukraine do not work - how many years we have no effect from these sanctions. Pragmatic approaches are sought how to solve this problem ".

The Presidential Debate Radev vs Gerdjikov: Highlights and Messages

The press center of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reports that Kiev has handed over to the ambassador the position of the state "on the incorrectness and inadmissibility of the statements of the President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev about Crimea during yesterday's pre-election television debates."

It was emphasized that the words of the current Bulgarian president do not contribute to the development of good neighborly relations between Ukraine and Bulgaria and sharply contradict Sofia's official position in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country within its internationally recognized borders.

From there, they expect Radev to refute his statement from yesterday.

Ambassador Kostadin Kojabashev assured that Bulgaria maintains its unshakable position in support of Ukraine's territorial integrity, including Crimea as an integral part of its territory, and efforts to deoccupy the peninsula, in particular through Bulgaria's participation in the Crimean platform.

In the meantime, the European Commission has reacted through its spokesman. He announced that from the point of view of the 27 countries and the EU institutions, Crimea is Ukraine, BTA reported.

"We will not comment on President Radev's statement, but we can recall the EU's position on Crimea - Crimea is Ukrainian territory that was illegally annexed, in violation of international law by Russia," the spokesman said. He added that this position has been very clear since 2014 and has been repeated many times since.

/OFFNews