Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrives for an official visit to Bulgaria on Jan. 17, will be greeted by protests staged by the country's opposition parties alongside the red-carpet welcoming ceremony, local press reported Thursday.
The Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) held talks and agreed with the several NGOs and civic organizations to stage protests when Putin visits Bulgaria next week, the party's Sofia branch leader Atanas Atanassov told a news conference Thursday.
The party is opposed to projects involving Russia, including the construction of the Belene nuclear power plant, the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline which the DSB believes will be detrimental to Black Sea tourism and the Strandja Mountain and the Blue Stream gas pipeline, which may permanently damage the nature.
"The visit will accelerate large-scale projects that will turn Bulgaria into a Trojan horse of Putin's oligarchy in the EU," and these projects are not in Bulgaria's interests and strengthen its energy dependence on Russia," said Atanassov.
On the same day, the Union of Democratic Forces Coalition Association also opposed Putin's visit, which the coalition associates with economic projects such as the Belene nuclear power plant, the oil pipelines and the purchase of Sofia's heating company.
Putin is scheduled to start his official visit to Bulgaria on Jan. 17 which will coincide with the opening of the Year of Russia here.
Source:Xinhua
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