site.btaAmbassadors in Sofia Slam Hate Speech in Joint Statement

The Ambassadors of 35 countries in Sofia condemned in a joint statement MP Elena Guncheva's (Vazrazhdane) threats of violence from March 18, when she wrote on Facebook that Russia can attack the Council of Ministers with high-precision weapons if the Government decides to send missiles to the "clown Zelenskyy". Guncheva also indirectly addressed the US Ambassador to Bulgaria Herro Mustafa, saying that Bulgaria could send her coordinates to Russia.

The first reaction to these comments came from National Assembly Chair Nikola Minchev, who deemed Guncheva’s words as “dishonorable and unacceptable”. 

On Monday evening, EU Ambassadors in Bulgaria disseminated their position which strongly condemns Guncheva’s statement. 

The Ambassadors of the United States, Albania, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Israel, Japan, and the United Kingdom on Tuesday joined their EU colleagues in condemning threats of violence against the Council of Ministers and the US Ambassador by a Bulgarian Member of Parliament. The statement reads: "We, the Ambassadors of EU Member States to Bulgaria, welcome the statement by Mr. Nikola Minchev, President of the National Assembly, condemning threats of violence against the Council of Ministers and accredited Ambassadors. Such threats are inexcusable, and we stand together in the belief that hate speech can have no place in our societies."