Bulgaria needs a regular government in order to vote on a comprehensive state budget, as well as on the laws on which the payments under the Recovery and Resilience Plan depend. This was said by Vice President Iliana Iotova in Jerusalem, where the 17th World Meeting of the Bulgarian Media is being held.

Iotova pointed out that President Rumen Radev this time gave the political forces enough time to find the most suitable formula for forming a cabinet.

"The parties say that they are doing everything possible to form a government, but after the first positive direction there is a "but" and an ellipsis follows”, the vice president also stated. “The dialogue does not go in the direction of the country's problems and the search for an intersection and consensus in these decisions. I still have the feeling that a significant part of the political forces want new elections right away, hoping for a higher result."‎

According to Iliana Iotova, from the way the National Assembly works, it will soon become clear whether a government will be formed, with a "long-term program, sustainable and stable".‎

The vice president also commented on the tension related to the Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria. Yesterday, many of them came out in protest because at the last moment they realized that they had to leave the hotels by the sea and be transferred to state-run accommodation facilities in the interior of the country. Meanwhile, some of the hotels stopped offering food to their guests, while others insisted that people pay for their stay and food if they wanted to stay.‎

"Regarding the conditions and recent claims, it is not good when women with small children are accepted without any good living conditions," Iliana Iotova said. “There should also be more timely aid for hoteliers, because you remember how long they waited for state funding in order not to go bankrupt. And at the same time, the integration of these people should be our most important task - not so much the accommodation. From now on, it is very important to realize what part of them we can count on, for what specific period of time, as we risk wasting funds and the results not being satisfactory even for the people who come, nor for us as Bulgarian citizens."‎

The media is in debt to the Ukrainian refugees, Iliana Iotova also believes, who asked the journalists when was the last time they talked about their problems.‎

"Actually, we have a big vacuum during the summer season, when suddenly the topic "What's going on with these people" disappeared from the scope of interest of the Bulgarian media”, she continued. “We seem to give media coverage only when there is a scandal, there is a problem like now with their transfer from the hotels to the state-run facilities. For me, the most important thing is to talk about how many of these people plan to link their future with Bulgaria and how Bulgaria can integrate them into society, so that we actually fulfill all the conditions they hope for, coming in our country."‎

Responding to a question of Radio Bulgaria, related to the image of Bulgaria beyond the national borders, Iliyana Iotova pointed out:

"This is an area where a lot of work can be done, because we have a certain problem in this regard. The image of Bulgaria outside our borders cannot be an intentional advertisement - similar to those we listen to every night in the commercials. These are all those positive steps and policies that Bulgaria offers both for its citizens on the territory of the country and for those who live outside it. There is no better advertising than this - and especially when the news about Bulgaria is related to its firm positions on the international stage which it has defended and found enough allies to implement."‎

Compiled by Diana Tsankova (based on questions of Krasimir Martinov from BNR-Radio Bulgaria and other media)

Editing by Elena Karkalanova