Bulgaria has decided not to impose "air censorship" on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s flights through its airspace en route to Moscow. This statement was made by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov during a parliamentary control session.

Zhelyazkov was responding to a question from Atanas Atanasov, leader of the DSB, who had raised concerns about Vucic’s passage through Bulgarian airspace. Atanasov pointed out that the Baltic states had refused to grant Vucic’s flight permission to use their skies. In response, Zhelyazkov clarified that while some countries may have closed their airspace due to bilateral issues, Bulgaria does not see any reason to impose restrictions on flights from countries with which it maintains good relations.

“We have no reason to close our airspace with our neighboring or partner countries,” Zhelyazkov explained. “We are a state governed by the rule of law, and our skies are free.”

The Prime Minister also addressed another point raised by Atanasov, who questioned why Bulgaria, a country that has been labeled an enemy by Russia, would allow such a flight. Atanasov speculated that the Bulgarian government’s stance might have been coordinated with the country’s intelligence services. Zhelyazkov dismissed these claims, stating that the suggestion was overly political and not based on facts.

Putin welcomed Vucic and Fico in Kremlin just before military parade in Moscow(ongoing now) pic.twitter.com/hKxALBA4zs

— Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) May 9, 2025

While acknowledging the importance of maintaining good-neighborly relations, Zhelyazkov stressed that Bulgaria’s decision was rooted in practical diplomacy and legal norms rather than political alignments.