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Bulgaria’s last King and former Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha has warned against frivolous interpretations of a public initiative unveiled earlier this week with the stated objective of fully utilizing his international authority to the country's benefit.
“It’s good to avoid interpretations,” Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said in an exclusive interview for Novinite.com on Thursday when asked whether the initiative could turn into a new political project in Bulgaria.
“Read it and from there on let’s have a realistic attitude,” he said, referring to media suggestions the initiative might be heralding his political comeback.
Commenting on a suggestion that Bulgaria should formally make its former prime minister a special envoy to fully capitalize on his potential and experience, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said: “That’s what I’ve been doing all my life.”
Asked about potential parallels with historic events preceding WW1, he said:
“I strongly believe in the communication advantages we have today because many events can be prevented or explained in a blink of an eye before they turn into a crisis. While 100 years ago someone could say something that could ignite a fire before information was adequately exchanged, today a statement can either be refuted at lightning speed or sides involved in a dispute can meet and talk.”
“In short, dialogue today can be achieved much more easily now than it had been back then, which for me acts as prevention of irreparable crises.”
When asked whether Bulgaria’s membership of the EU and NATO should be an obstacle to its relations with Russia, Simeon said:
“Bulgaria is already placed witnin the framework of the European Union, which is not a small gain or opportunity. In this context, why should one necessarily be a Russophobe just because Bulgaria is a EU member, or a Russophile because of events from the past?
“I think it’s in the interest of the country and its citizens to see where our interests lie. I believe it is unnecessary and beyond all measure to reject Russia just because we are in NATO.”