Bulgarian parliamentary committee on Russian, Turkish interference in politics set for stillbirth
The first meeting of Bulgaria’s parliamentary special committee to examine allegations of interference by Turkey and Russia in the country’s domestic politics is likely to also be its last.
The National Assembly voted on February 19 in favour of setting up the all-party temporary committee, which it was agreed would have a two-month term to examine the allegations, hearing from officials from the Foreign Ministry, security and intelligence agencies, among others.
Proposed by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms – a party that itself has been the centre of commentaries saying that it was caught up in a struggle between Russia and Turkey in which Moscow won out over Ankara – the establishment of the committee was backed by MPs from several parties, including Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s centre-right GERB party.
But on February 27, Borissov said that he had assigned GERB’s parliamentary group leader Tsvetan Tsvetanov to engage in talks in Parliament about whether to go ahead with the committee – of which a GERB MP already had been named as chairperson.
Borissov cited complaints from Russia and Turkey about the committee and the likely exacerbation of relations with those two countries.
For the full story, please click here.
(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
