Bulgarian president says Crimea belongs to Ukraine, stands for full implementation of Minsk Agreements
SOFIA. June 30 (Interfax) - Bulgaria supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and speaks for complete implementation of the Minsk Agreements on settlement of the conflict in the eastern Ukraine, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said.
"Bulgaria firmly supports sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and settlement of the crisis with diplomatic measures," he told reporters in Sofia following the negotiations with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
"The Minsk Agreements implementation has no alternative. Bulgaria does not recognize, and will not recognize, Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea. For us, Crimea is Ukraine and Ukraine is Europe," he said.
On March 16, 2014, a referendum took place in Crimea, and more than 90% of participants in it voted for the peninsula to join Russia. The documents on the accession of Crimea to Russia were signed in Moscow a few days afterwards. Kyiv and the West called it the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine; so-called 'Crimean' sanctions have been imposed on Russia after that. Russian government said on numerous occasions that the issue of the Crimean accession is settled entirely and permanently and is not subject to review.
