Bulgaria Nationalists Demand Support from Ruling Party GERB on Serbia's Border Issue

Politics » DIPLOMACY | November 27, 2010, Saturday // 18:33
Bulgaria: Bulgaria Nationalists Demand Support from Ruling Party GERB on Serbia's Border Issue Nationalist leader Volen Siderov (M) is pictured in this file photo with supporters and party members. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's nationalist Ataka party has warned to reconsider its support for the ruling party GERB if the latter does not react to the incident at Serbia's border, the Ataka leader, Volen Siderov, said.

"Ataka will think whether to continue its support for GERB if there is no adequate reaction for the incident today on the Bulgarian-Serbian border," Siderov said Saturday.

He also said that Bulgaria has to send a protest note and inform the European Commission for the violated, in his words, international rules.

On Saturday morning, Serbia's border authorities did not let into the country about 500 members and supporters of the Ataka party, who were traveling by buses to Bosilegrad to mark the 91st anniversary since the signing of the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Siderov explained that none of the Bulgarians have provoked in any way the attitude from the Serbian border authorities. They have been stopped and had to remain on the road for three hours, surrounded by "armed Serbian policemen."

The Ataka leader also said that one of the Serbian policeman hit and pushed one of the Bulgarians.

"Serbia violates all rules and does not deserve to be a member of the European Union," Siderov said.

He added that if the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry does not react with an adequate answer, Ataka supporters would start protest actions and would prevent Serbian citizens to enter Bulgaria's territory.

The Ataka leader said that so far no one gave has explained to them why they were not let into the country.

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, has told Siderov that he asked the Serbian Ambassador to Bulgaria for explanation.

Bulgaria's Interior Minister has told the nationalist leader that he had received an explanation from the Serbian Interior Ministry.

"Serbia's Interior Minstry has ordered its employees to block us because they had their reasons," the explanation said, in Siderov's words.

The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, dealing with Bulgaria for its role as one of the Central Powers in World War I, was signed on 27 November 1919 at Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

The treaty required Bulgaria to cede Western Thrace to the Entente, (which ceded it to Greece at the San Remo conference) thereby cutting off its direct outlet to the Aegean Sea and an area of 2563 km? on the western border to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The treaty also forced Bulgaria to return Southern Dobruja, which had been captured during the war and restored the border set by the Treaty of Bucharest (1913). Bulgaria was also required to reduce its army to 20,000 men, pay reparations of ?100 million, and recognize the existence of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

In Bulgaria, the results of the treaty are popularly known as the Second National Catastrophe.

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Tags: Ataka, Volen Siderov, GERB, Serbia, nationalists, nationalist, Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, Bulgaria, interior ministry, Nikolay Mladenov, Tsvetan Tsvetanov

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