Bulgarian President Rumen Radev resigns after 7 years in office - Reuters
Kyiv • UNN
He has held the position since January 22, 2017: in 2021, he called Crimea "Russian."
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev announced his resignation on Monday, January 19. He had held the position since January 22, 2017, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
Details
As noted in the publication, this fueled widespread speculation that Radev would form his own political party after his resignation.
Additionally
Radev has been President of Bulgaria since January 2017. Prior to that, he served in the country's air force, starting in 1987. From 2014-2016, he was commander of the Bulgarian Air Force.
According to the Bulgarian service of "Radio Free Europe", in 2021, during debates with his main opponent for the presidency, Anastas Gerdzhikov, Radev stated that occupied Crimea is "Russian territory" and sanctions against Russia are "ineffective."
Recall
Russia decided to terminate military agreements with 11 European countries, concluded in 1992-2002. These agreements regulated bilateral military cooperation after the collapse of the USSR: among the countries with which Russia terminated the agreement is Bulgaria.