Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev devoted considerable time of his speech on the completion of his third year in office on Wednesday to the country's foreign policy.

The President carried out an active foreign policy in the past year, having completed 28 visits, in which he represented the Bulgarian position at different international formats – bilateral, regional, European and global.

Plevneliev identified the Ukrainian crisis as posing the most serious threat to European peace and security after the Second World War.

According to him, the security environment in Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea has dramatically changed in 2014.

The Head of State expressed concern that at present there was an attempt to substitute the rule of law in Europe with the rule of interests.

Plevneliev termed this development as extremely dangerous, which necessitated decisive action by the democratic world.

The President said that through his visits and interviews he has aided the forging of a common European position on the Ukrainian crisis.

According to him, the annexation of Crimea had been unthinkable, but happened in a demonstration of violent and illegitimate redrawing of borders.

The Head of State expressed a firm and principled stance against Russian aggression in Crimea and called on everyone, including Russia, to respect the international legal order.

Plevneliev reminded that in one of his speeches he had pointed that the history of Europe can be divided into two periods – before and after Crimea.

The President said that the world was threatened with a restoration of the international order of the 19^th century, which was defined by the existence of Great Powers and peripheries between them.

He opposed both the idea of a two-speed Europe and Russian attempts to restore an international order dictated by the Great Powers.

Plevneliev assured that as a President he was working for stronger and more integrated European Union (EU), which provided each of the member states with the opportunity to be a major player on the global stage.

In his opinion, Bulgaria could and should add value to the EU in such a decisive moment rather than staying silently in the corner or playing the role of someone's Trojan horse.

Plevneliev stated that Bulgaria's NATO partners have increased their confidence in the country as a reliable ally, which was in no small part due to the adoption of the “Bulgaria in NATO and European defence 2020” programme.

The President called on Bulgaria to act as an active member of NATO with clear position and priorities.

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