00:00I spoke with Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Andrei Gyorov.
00:03He is an important voice in the context of the Board of Peace
00:06because Bulgaria was one of the few European countries to join in on this effort.
00:11I began by asking in our conversation,
00:13how concerning is this escalation in the Middle East
00:17when it comes to the economy and the politics?
00:20We are pretty worried at the moment,
00:22simply because we don't know what the end game of the whole situation is.
00:26So Europe should speak in one voice here and try to get to the negotiation table
00:32and see what can be done so that this conflict de-escalates
00:37and how this will react then to supply chains, energy, prices and similars.
00:44And what can we done or can be done?
00:46Because President Trump this week appeared to be angry at European allies
00:49and NATO saying the one time we need help, they are not helping.
00:52What is the concern or do you see European action in the Strait of Hormuz?
00:57At the moment, I don't see direct involvement of the European Union in the Strait of Hormuz.
01:05But in any case, we are long-standing partners.
01:08Europe has always stood beside its allies and partners.
01:12And I think the right way forward is to get back to the negotiation table
01:17and discuss together with our partners how this war can be ended.
01:20So it's about diplomacy now.
01:23Is there a diplomatic role when it comes to Iran, however?
01:25Because it seems the language coming out of Israel and certainly the U.S.
01:29is that this is a terrier's regime.
01:30It will not get done or changed through words.
01:33You still believe there's a diplomatic way out?
01:35I think that one thing is certain.
01:38And the ballistic program and the nuclear enrichment of Iran has to be stopped.
01:45And there are different ways how to do this.
01:47And sometimes different diplomatic styles work well.
01:50And on that note, diplomatic styles.
01:52At the start of the year, President Trump presented this Board of Peace.
01:55And Bulgaria was one of the very few European countries that joined.
01:58The truth is, two months later, there's another war going on.
02:02It's not really brought peace.
02:04Was it a good idea to join this Board of Peace?
02:06Well, first of all, this treaty is not ratified by the Bulgarian parliament.
02:11It's being signed under the condition that it will be later ratified.
02:15And it's not been introduced yet in parliament.
02:20So we have not joined this Board of Peace.
02:22What we actually wanted to show is that Bulgaria supports the extensive plan for peace in Gaza.
02:28So what concerns Gaza and the Board of Peace, Bulgaria is supporting this area.
02:34But I don't think that the other treaty will be ever ratified.
02:38So the Bulgarian parliament is probably not going to ratify this.
02:41In hindsight, do you look at it and go, well, it was a bad idea.
02:44Maybe Bulgaria should have thought about it twice or at least look at the detail, the fine print.
02:48Well, I think it would be an exaggeration to say that this is a Bulgarian position.
02:54It's not really a question of international politics.
02:57It's not even a question of local politics.
03:00It's actually a personal question of one oligarch, which is sanctioned by the Global Magnitsky Act.
03:07And the whole signing of this treaty has actually to do with him being removed from this list of sanctions.
03:15I don't think it's going to work.
03:17What is surprising, unfortunately, is the influence that this oligarch has over some pretty important parties in Bulgarian parliament.
03:26So it seems to me that you are saying, yes, it was a political maneuver and perhaps a big mistake.
03:31Just as a final question, however, when it comes to the U.S. beyond the Board of Peace,
03:36how do you go about a president like President Trump, who is now asking for help but did not brief
03:41Europeans that a war was imminent in Iran?
03:43Is there a way that you can talk to a president like this?
03:46How do you go about what is, some would say, erratic diplomacy, others would argue is unusual?
03:53What is important in this kind of volatile situation is to preserve partnerships which have worked on both sides of
04:01the Atlantic for many years now.
04:03At the same time, of course, it is important that we talk, that we keep our eyes on the goal
04:11and be flexible in the means to achieve the goals.
04:13Even when you have a president at the Times that has said, the Europeans are weak, they're not helping.
04:18Now he says, perhaps they face a bad future within NATO.
04:21Do you read between the words?
04:22Is that something that you have to do with President Trump, the language and then the action?
04:25I see this as a stress test for the European Union.
04:28And we clearly recognize that the European Union should speak in one voice and it should get stronger and stand
04:35on its own feet.
04:37And that message so far has been that this is not Europe's war.
04:40Prime Minister, thank you very much for joining us.
Comments