Bulgaria: Economy Minister threatens to leave coalition if govt sends military aid to Ukraine

Kornelia Ninova, the Bulgarian Socialist Party leader and Minister of Economy, warns to leave the coalition if the Bulgarian administration sends military assistance to Ukraine. The remarks were made by the Minister on Friday, April 29, 2022.  

The Minister asserted, “If the Council of Ministers decides to export weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) will leave the coalition; we will wait to see what will be voted on”. 

“Bulgarian businesses want Sofia “to make it possible to resume talks with Gazprom” after the Russian energy giant cut off gas supplies to the country”, Ninova further added. 

The sources claimed that the ongoing disputes regarding the supplying of weapons to Ukraine might lead to the separation of the Bulgarian coalition government.  

Democratic Bulgaria party is standing firm with its decision asking the government of the European nation to pass a resolution in the parliament to mandate sending the military aid to the war-hit country. On the other hand, there are some leaders in the government who are against the decision to send weaponry to Ukraine.  

Ninova then added to her statement, “There are all sorts of speculation at the moment that weapons are actually being exported, I reaffirm – one cartridge is not exported to Ukraine. We export weapons to 50 to 60 countries, but all of them are end-users. Bulgaria cannot control what happens after. We do not have a single agreement for Ukraine and Russia. If a decision is made by the Council of Ministers on such exports, we are leaving”. 

“SANS, the Military Intelligence, the Ministry of Foreign and Interior, the Ministries of Defense and the Economy are involved in this commission, which authorizes trade, and it is absolutely impossible for all these services to know and do something illegal. All documents are considered by all these services and ministries“, she then added.