Kristian Vigenin: On Iran we have to seek the primacy of diplomatic over military solutions

“Diplomatic solutions have to take precedence over military ones. For Bulgaria it is important to stick to the European position on the Israel-Iran conflict and to take care of our compatriots in these territories, which it did.” This was stated by the head of the Delegation of Bulgarian Socialists in the European Parliament and former foreign minister Kristian Vigenin on the BNR programme “Sunday 150”. He warned that if third countries get involved in the conflict, it could become a dangerous and long war, with economic and social consequences for the region, such as possible waves of refugees, blocked trade routes, a rise in the price of oil and inflation.

“In this situation the interaction and coordination between all institutions in Bulgaria is very important, so that positions are taken and action is taken that protects the national interest and Bulgarians,” Kristian Vigenin commented.

The risks of a full-scale war and the situation in Gaza

The MEP is worried that the actions of both the United States and Israel come without a clear horizon of what lies ahead: “A full-scale war in the region has unforeseeable consequences for everyone. There is a process of international organisations being emptied of meaning, but we have to seek allies in the direction of respecting international law. It cannot be that anyone who declares they feel threatened launches a military attack. A situation in which everyone does whatever they want takes the world back at least 100 years.”

Kristian Vigenin emphasised that the war with Iran should not divert attention from the tragic situation of the Palestinians in Gaza. In his view, even the most loyal supporters of Israel in the EP are now saying “enough”. In the EU the suspension of the Association Agreement with Israel is already being discussed because of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

The North Macedonia report

On the topic of the report on the progress of the Republic of North Macedonia towards the EU, which is due to be considered again on Tuesday by the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the European Parliament, Vigenin said the country has to meet its commitments and include Bulgarians in its Constitution. “The people working on the report walked into a minefield because they did not know the situation, and they have to get out of it. This is not about bilateral relations at all, it is about treaties and commitments made by North Macedonia that have to be respected for the accession process to continue. If there is a veto on the process, it was placed by Prime Minister Mickoski himself, who has no explanation for why he is not including Bulgarians in the Constitution,” the MEP pointed out. He is of the view that all texts that leave room for a distorted interpretation of the questions of identity and language need to be cleaned up.