Gyurov calls presidency “just an echo” in row over drones and Russian envoy
Presidential candidate Andrey Gyurov accused Iliana Iotova's office of failing to check the government. Iotova said she would not speculate on the origin of the Black Sea drones.
Archive image · Photo: President.bg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 bg (cropped and resized)
In the campaign for Bulgaria's presidential election, the tone between candidates is sharpening. Former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov told Darik radio on Saturday that the presidency is currently not a check on the executive “but simply an echo”. He called the statement issued after the National Security Council on the drone strikes on two ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone a “blanket statement”, saying a wish for peace and a moratorium “cannot be a national security strategy”.
Gyurov said Bulgaria should also summon the Russian ambassador to answer for any possible Russian involvement, as it summoned Ukraine's ambassador when a drone crashed into a sunflower field. He said he would rely on intelligence from partners in the US and NATO but had not seen the reports and would not speculate. He also criticised the government's budget as inflationary.
President Iliana Iotova, herself a candidate, told reporters that as head of state she “cannot speak in assumptions” and that Bulgaria would do everything possible to gather evidence. She warned of higher fuel prices and noted that gas storage is only slightly more than half full.