In connection with the statement of the incumbent president of Bulgaria on the belonging of the temporarily occupied Crimea to Russia on November 19 in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine invited the Ambassador of Bulgaria in Kiev Kostadin Kodzhabashev.This was reported by the press service of the Foreign Ministry.
"The Ukrainian side brought to the ambassador the position of our state on the incorrectness and unacceptability of the statements of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Crimea during yesterday's pre-election TV debates," the ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry stressed that the words of the incumbent Bulgarian president do not contribute to the development of good neighborly relations between Ukraine and Bulgaria and sharply discord with Sofia's official position in support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
"We expect Bulgarian President Rumen Radev to refute his statement yesterday," the ministry said.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Kostadin Kojabashev assured of Bulgaria's unchanged position of support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, including Crimea as an integral part of the territory of the Ukrainian state, and efforts to de-occupy the peninsula, in particular through Bulgarian participation in the Crimean platform.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, seeking re-election, said during a Nov. 18 presidential candidate debate that he considers Crimea to be Russian territory and the EU's anti-Russian sanctions ineffective.
Radev has a high chance of re-election. In the first round of the presidential election, he won 49.42 percent of the vote, while his main opponent, Anastas Gerdzikov, won 22.83 percent.
