Asen Vasilev of We Continue the Change called for immediate action after two recent attacks on ships just outside Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, he told BNT.
This follows our earlier report on Prime Minister Rumen Radev's decision to summon Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova over a new attack on ships off the Bulgarian coast. Drones hit two merchant ships near Byala and Krapets, and one of them sank.
Vasilev said the two attacks mean shipping in the Black Sea will not be normal. He said imports and exports of goods, oil deliveries to the Neftochim refinery, and exports of grain and base metals will suffer.
He urged Radev to act, to ask NATO allies for help where Bulgaria lacks enough capacity, and to put in place the plans for a scenario in which the Black Sea is closed to shipping.
Vasilev's team drew up the plans and reports for this scenario in 2022. "What happens if the Black Sea is closed to shipping?" he asked. He said the reports and action plan from that time show the risk is now much higher, and the state must react at once.
Vasilev recalled that after the attacks on the previous two ships, Radev said the incident was not serious enough. Now, he said, the case should be serious enough for the prime minister to act.
Vasilev said that anyone who has declared the state an enemy can be stopped only with a firm policy and clear consequences for each of their actions. He said there is no such policy now, and the aggressor is becoming more aggressive. He said this "makes the country prey because of the incompetence and ineptitude of the Progressive Bulgaria government".