Bulgarian party head claims Ukrainian region
Date
1/14/2025 7:18:13 AM
(MENAFN) Kostadin Kostadinov, the leader of Bulgaria's far-right eurosceptic Revival Party, has stated that Bulgaria has a legitimate claim to part of southern Ukraine due to its historical ties to the region. In a facebook post on Thursday, Kostadinov compared Bulgaria’s claim to the Ukrainian region of Southern Bessarabia to the controversial remarks made by incoming US President Donald trump about reclaiming the Panama Canal and annexing Canada. He supported Trump’s stance, calling it “entirely justified” and argued that, like the historical ties between the US and Canada, Bulgaria and Ukraine share deep cultural and historical connections.
Kostadinov specifically pointed to Southern Bessarabia, which is now part of Ukraine’s Odessa Region, claiming it was part of the Bulgarian state for over 450 years, compared to Ukraine’s control of the area for only 34 years. He also suggested that ethnic Bulgarians make up the majority in the region. Kostadinov called for Bulgaria to assert its claims to this land during future peace negotiations over Ukraine’s sovereignty, suggesting that the disintegration of Ukraine makes such a claim plausible.
The remarks have been met with backlash from Ukraine’s embassy in Bulgaria, which condemned them as "unacceptable" for a politician from an EU member state. The embassy urged Bulgarian authorities to denounce the statements, which they say distort history and promote rhetoric that could lead to border redrawing and undermine international law. Southern Bessarabia, historically part of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires, has been home to a diverse population over the centuries, including Bulgarians, Romanians, Ukrainians, and Russians.
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