26.02.2024
International law is sacred to Bulgaria. This means that we cannot accept, whether de jure or de facto, borders being changed by brute military force. This statement was made by Prime Minister Acad. Nikolai Denkov at the Conference of the International Platform for the release of civilians arbitrarily detained by the Russian Federation. The event in Kyiv was attended by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and by Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. The conference is taking place within the context of President Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula.
“Bulgaria condemns the aggressor, violations of international law, atrocities and crimes against humanity,” said Acad. Denkov and emphasized the unwavering conviction of the Bulgarian government and people that the law shall defend the internationally recognized borders against invaders. “Bulgaria respects the Ukrainians who fight for their freedom, respects the people who defend the European ideal of democracy and will not forget those who gave their lives for their sovereignty,” the Prime Minister said.
Nikolai Denkov recalled that in the past decade there had been many positions of international bodies that support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and condemn Russia’s actions as illegal. He said he was proud that Bulgaria supported the United Nations General Assembly resolution of 27 March 2014 and thereby recognized Crimea and Sevastopol as integral parts of Ukraine.
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister noted that war crimes must be brought to justice. “We believe that Ukraine must have the benefit of justice to which it is entitled by international law,” the Prime Minister emphasized. He voiced Bulgaria’s firm stand on the support for universal human rights, including the right of the citizens of Ukraine to live in freedom and peace. The Prime Minister condemned the crimes against identity in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine – denial of mother tongue, rewriting of history through monuments and textbooks, renaming of institutions, seizure of church properties and religious persecution. “The aggressor tries to occupy not just territory but minds,” Nikolai Denkov warned.
The Prime Minister pointed out that Bulgaria stands with Ukraine not because Ukraine is what stands between us and a potential avaricious invader, but because it is our moral obligation to do so. “We believe in the right of every child in every country, to be free of the trauma of war; to be raised by its parents, and not to be abducted to a foreign country, subjected to the crime that denies that child’s heritage, identity and the territory of its people,” the Prime Minister pointed out.
In conclusion, Bulgaria’s Prime Minister noted the key role of the Peace Formula, the importance of support for peace and Bulgaria’s active contribution to that.
In the war to which it has been subjected, Ukraine defends itself, but also all of us, and we are grateful, Acad. Nikolai Denkov emphasized “Bulgaria stands with Ukraine, and will do so, for as long as it takes,” the Prime Minister concluded.
