Russian President Vladimir Putin will be greeted by protests staged by the Bulgarian opposition parties alongside a red-carpet welcome during his official visit to Bulgaria next week, local media reported Thursday.
The opposition Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) held talks and agreed with several non-government organizations (NGO) and civil organizations to stage protests when Putin visits Bulgaria, the party's Sofia branch leader Atanas Atanassov told a news conference Thursday.
The party has been opposing projects involving Russia, including the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belene, some 250 km north of Sofia, the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project which DSB believes will affect tourism in the Black Sea region and Strandja Mountain in southeastern Bulgaria.
The group also criticized the Blue Stream gas pipeline to be laid on the Black Sea bed, saying it may permanently damage the local natural environment.
"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 but increase its dependence on Russian energy, said Atanassov.
On the same day, the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) also objected to Putin's visit, which the union thought would involve economic projects such as the Belene nuclear power plant, the oil pipelines and the purchase of a heating company in Sofia.
The union said in a declaration that all the projects posed a threat to national security, made the country more dependent on outside powers for energy and resources, leading inevitably to a possibility of political dependence on foreign countries.
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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