Readers and listeners continue to discuss the NATO issue with new developments to boot. Bulgaria is coming under fire from its EU and NATO allies for its friendly ties with Russia. Why would the US and other alliance members suddenly awaken to a centuries-old reality? Is Bulgaria going to be subject to more pressure? We talked with Peter Kichashki, Board Member at Institute of Modern Politics, Sofia. Visit our website and listen or read Radio VR's Burning Point and tell us what you think.
Peter Kichashki said "We are going to stand by our national interest, and our national interest is that we are a member of the European Union, and we have to keep good relations with Russia. I don't think that these two points, that are the main Bulgarian points of interest, are contradictory in any way. Russia is something like our big brother, not in the Orwellian sense of the word, but as a state, Russia has always been in front of Bulgaria. And I think that most of the people here are fond of Russia."
Meanwhile, we have an exlusive interview with John Nomikos, the director at the Research Institute for European and American Studies, who said: “The determination of Mr. Putin's decision-making is his strong point. He makes a decision today and tomorrow it is implemented, compared with the European barbarian bureaucracy which takes a few weeks and maybe months to go ahead,” He names huge amounts of natural gas Russia's second strategic advantage – the one that European leaders are likely to be eager to discuss with the Russian president. Vladimir Putin is traveling to France to take part in the 70th anniversary of D-Day landings celebrations in Normandy on June 6.
Here is what our readers think.
One commentator going by the name Bente wrote:
“Greece is not very different from Denmark, though we have a better economy... our right wing party in DK, like in France and in UK, got 25% of the votes and the Socialists also got more votes than usual... both are against the undemocratic EU, we want our sovereignty back. As John Nomikos points out EU today is not the EU that was formed 1956 or the one DK signed up with 1973... the dependency on US in military matters is insane... EU has been lazy and left it to "NATO" which is leaving it to USA... Economically EU must obey USA ... politically EU must obey USA... To fight US' wars is not in EUs interest AT ALL... our interest is to trade and cooperate with the biggest markets there are and that is ASIA... it is China and all the other countries and it is certainly Russia."
