President calls for peace in Ukraine and security in the Black Sea

Speaking from the UN podium, President Iliana Iotova called for the Black Sea to be transformed from a zone of heightened risk into a zone of national and international security - a zone of safety and free corridors for transport, energy, trade, and digital exchange, as well as tourism; a zone where diverse cultures, religions, and political systems meet in peace. In her address to the 81st UN General Assembly, the head of state declared: "The war in Ukraine has moved beyond the territorial waters of the countries involved in the conflict and this affects Bulgaria directly. But the problem in the Black Sea has evolved from a regional one into a global one."

Iotova raised the question of whether the time has come to rethink European security policy. As a starting point for this debate, the President called for the conflict in Ukraine to be shifted from the military to the political and diplomatic sphere. "This means negotiations, which require dialogue and at least a minimum degree of trust, backed by the necessary guarantees.” At the same time, Europe cannot remain a mere observer; it must be an active participant in negotiations regarding the continent's post-war security architecture, the President stated, according to BTA and BGNES.

Editor: Ivo Ivanov