Bulgaria’s Cabinet security council holds emergency meeting on Venezuela situation
Bulgaria’s Cabinet security council held an emergency meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Boiko Borissov, on the situation in Venezuela, the government information service said on February 5.
The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva as well as representatives of the security services and of President Roumen Radev.
The meeting was held against the background of the crisis that has ensued following Nicolás Maduro becoming Venezuela’s President last month in an election deemed by the United States, the European Union and several countries around the world as flawed. Juan Guaidó, head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself interim President in a move backed by most EU countries, including Bulgaria.
The government statement said that the Cabinet security council took the position that Bulgaria expressed its solidarity with its partners in the EU and the international community that recognised Guaidó as temporary head of state “with a view to holding democratic elections for a peaceful settlement the crisis, preventing a humanitarian catastrophe, deterring further escalation of tension and possible mass violence in the country.
“The Republic of Bulgaria expresses its solidarity with all citizens of Venezuela as well as with the citizens of the member states of the EU who live there,” the statement said.
“They are more than one million people, mostly from Spain and Portugal – countries that are reliable partners of Bulgaria, for which there are a number of examples, the latter being their support for the Bulgarian position in defence of Bulgarian carriers and transport workers,” the security council position said.
The document was endorsed by all council members, with the exception of the President’s representatives, the statement said.
On February 4, Radev said that Bulgaria should not support the proposed EU position on Venezuela, saying that it would not lead to a solution.
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the February 4 declarations by EU countries recognising Guaidó as interim President as “attempts to legitimise usurped power” and “interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs”, the Voice of America reported.
The United Nations has declined to take sides in the crisis in Venezuela.
“The UN secretariat has decided not to be part of any of these groups in order to give credibility to our continued offer of good offices to the parties to be able at their request to help find a political solution,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters on February 4, VOA said.
(Photo of the Cabinet security council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Borissov: government.bg)
