The embassy of Kyiv in our country scandalized with a call to rename streets
Instead of making stupid proposals, to help solve the problems of refugees, said the chairman of the General Assembly in Ruse Ivo Pazarzhiev
Vaccines for children are a real problem
Hundreds of Bulgarians described the proposal of the Ukrainian embassy on Facebook to rename the streets where the embassy of the Russian Federation and the Moscow consulates in Ruse and Varna are located as an absolute provocation and direct interference in Bulgaria’s internal affairs.
“Trud” asked leading analysts and diplomats for comment, who called the request of the Kyiv embassy inadmissible and extreme.
“I call on the cheerful, carefree and happy people from the Ukrainian embassy to be adequate for the society’s agenda!” Instead of making stupid and inappropriate proposals, let them help solve the real problems of Ukrainian citizens. One of them is the lack of synchronization between the vaccines of Bulgarian and Ukrainian children, which creates a real problem for their enrollment in kindergartens and schools. It is important for me that these people be socialized, “Ivo Pazardzhiev, chairman of the Ruse Municipal Council, told Trud.
Local authorities provided clarifications on the procedure for renaming streets. First, in order to adopt such a decision, a proposal must be made by the mayor of the municipality or on behalf of a municipal councilor. If the Municipal Council votes for it, the residents of the respective street should change their documents within the specified period.
The idea of renaming angered Varna residents, who have already seen themselves in a miracle from the bar cars of the refugees who arrived, who en masse do not observe any restrictions on speed or parking. “The proposal to rename Macedonia Street to Ukraine is an insanely brazen provocation, which we will oppose by all legal means and will not allow,” they announced at a special press conference of Vazrazhdane in Varna and warned that expelled by liberal pro-fascist elements want to establish themselves in our country. Vazrazhdane declared that they support refugees in need who seek salvation in our country, but also pointed out the huge difference between them and other Ukrainians who flaunt luxury in our country.
Assoc. Prof. Antoni Galabov, political scientist, in front of “Trud”: The naming of a street or a square is an expression of national memory
There is an old, Russian joke that says we wanted it to be good, and it happened as usual. We need a very serious conversation not only about the names of the streets in the center of our big cities and the capital, but also about this symbolism and topography of what is important. It is necessary, but not as a campaign.
The truth is that we have not had this conversation intensively, we have not considered why some streets or squares bear names, which are sometimes far from the names of people with such a significant contribution to Bulgarian history. But not as a campaign, but as a meaningful conversation about where we are. Because, to my great regret, the Bulgarian culture is of a nomadic type, it is a wandering culture in which we remove the names of the streets, we do not have the numbers of our buildings, as if we want no one to see us and no one to find us. We do not want to leave traces. But if we really want to start rethinking significant names and personalities in our history, this is necessary.
This should happen, but not in the context of a specific economic call. There is no doubt that what is happening in Ukraine will change the next decade. It is very important when discussing this topic that we do not discuss it separately from our own history and our own memory. Because the name of a street or square is an expression of national memory.
Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, historian, in front of “Trud”: These are extremes that we will not help
I am strongly against renaming streets. These are extremes. I am on the side of Ukraine, of the Ukrainian people, but in the end we are constantly flattering each other. We cannot replace “Macedonia” with “Ukraine”. For us, however, the thesis about Northern Macedonia is much more important, it is especially relevant today, without underestimating, of course, the Ukrainian issue. To remove the boulevard “Dragan Tsankov” – a Bulgarian politician and put some other names is also completely pointless.
In general, I think that such an initiative is extremely ill-considered. Let’s see how things develop, this is very hasty to do and we are unlikely to help many Ukrainians. It is much better to give them military aid than to play at the intersection of streets and boulevards.
Academician Georgi Markov, historian for “Trud”: There must be a measure
After November 10, some had become interested and even wanted the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral to be renamed, as Radoslavov had done, but they did not know. And then they wanted to change street names. They told me: Professor, there are many streets here with the names of Russian generals. Well, that’s right. I give the example of the First World War – we are fighting against Russia, on the side of Germany. The palace is on Moskovska Street and Kaiser Wilhelm II wrote to Ferdinand and sent it to Moskovska Street. Well, the names of these streets cannot be touched, they are historical.
Ukrainians are increasingly impudent, the Ukrainian embassy is acting on the orders of the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv.
It is not normal in the center of Sofia to greet each other with “Glory of Ukraine”. Russia is not Putin’s Russia, it is a country with a centuries-old history. I do not approve of the war in Ukraine, but there is a limit that Ukrainian rulers cross. There must be a measure!
Prof. Andrey Pantev, historian: Only Bulgarians can want a name change
Only Bulgarians can change the names of Bulgarian streets. And nobody. It is.
There may have been such precedents from foreign powers in our past, but they have never been made public. For example, the city of Varna may have been asked to be renamed Stalin, but it was never exposed as a mandatory inclination.
Prof. Plamen Pavlov, historian: Ukraine should receive military aid, not renaming streets
However, the renaming of streets must be the work of the Bulgarian municipal authorities, etc. However, what I need to do, in my opinion, is for Ukraine to receive military-technical assistance, as the country is under attack. The aggressor is Russia. If Ukraine had invaded Russia, I would have been of the opposite opinion.
Lyubomir Kyuchukov, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs: This is unacceptable!
It is not his job to tell a foreign embassy how to rename streets. I believe that in these tense times there should be no competition over who will take more action against Russia.
Strahil Deliiski, political scientist: We need a conversation in society beyond labels and stigmatization
“Following the principled civil position, after the renaming of the street to the Russian Embassy in Ukraine, we can expect a wave of toponymic transformations. The street next to the French one should be called Mali, for example. To the Belgian – Congo.
“Kozyak” to be renamed “Vietnam”. Falkland Street to appear somewhere around the British. I don’t know about German, it’s close to Russian and you have to think strategically. Next to the Spanish – Western Sahara Street. Etcetera. I just wonder if civil society still can’t find a little more meaningful pursuits. “
It is good to state different positions. The big problem comes at a time when a position is being defended by denying any other position. This is the problem. This is my pathos on Facebook. And it is connected with the position “Ok. It is clear that some group of people in Bulgaria wants us to send weapons, to show loyalty. ” And this is normal, others do not want to. The problem is when these claims, these positions are articulated as “If you don’t think like us, you’re idiots!” – with all the terminology currently used. There is nothing to stop them from saying that there is such an idea, but let’s discuss it. Let’s see is this a good way? Instead, we have “Here, this must happen. And whoever does not want to, then is an opponent of freedom, democracy. Thus, we cannot have a conversation in our society. It seems to me that we will increasingly need a conversation in society beyond labels and stigmatization.
Assoc. Prof. Tatiana Burudjieva, political scientist: We can’t play with renaming streets
There is a great desire from the Bulgarian circles to support the Ukrainian people in these difficult times for them. I believe that, as always, each embassy has its own functions and its own work. In Bulgaria there are ways in which a decision is made to name streets, boulevards, moreover, at the moment we are talking about streets where there are diplomatic missions of the Russian Federation. There may be something else on these streets tomorrow, and we cannot play with street renaming, and I think that is the least we can do for the Ukrainian people at this time.
It seems to me that this psychological war between Ukraine and Russia should not be part of Bulgarian everyday life.
I think that the position of the Bulgarian state is completely clear and I do not see why it should be expressed in this way. In my opinion, the job of the Ukrainian embassy in Bulgaria is to work for the maximum help and the desire for support that the Bulgarian people want to express, to be able to reach every one of their citizens.
Identical case in Mexico
President accuses Ukrainian diplomats of racism
The President of Mexico Andres Manuel Lopez
Obrador (left) responded to Ukrainian diplomats.
The Ukrainian embassy in Mexico has been at the center of a scandal after accusing a local journalist of working for Russia. Even President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador intervened in the situation and was outraged by the “racist” joke of Ukrainian diplomats.
The conflict arose after Mexican journalist Gabriel Infante mentioned the Ukrainian diplomatic mission’s Twitter account and recalled the closure of opposition media by Ukrainian authorities.
“It is worth noting that the Ukrainian government shut down the opposition media: 112 Ukraine, ZIK, News One and imposed sanctions against the online publication Strana.Ua,” writes Infante. Ukrainian diplomats responded rudely, citing the stereotype of Central Americans’ obligatory love for a dish called tamales, a corn tortilla wrapped in a banana or corn leaf. Mexicans in the United States are often the subject of such chauvinistic jokes – they attribute their love for tamales, burritos or tacos and suggest that they can only work as cleaners or drug dealers. “And you continue to spread Russian propaganda without being in Ukraine. That is why we have a question for you, Mr. journalist: are you paid in rubles or in tamales? ” – announced the Ukrainian embassy.
That is why the diplomatic mission is accused of racism, and the Ukrainian side is trying to justify itself by saying that it knows nothing about such words being considered racist, and that it just wanted to know if the journalist works “for money or for food ”. The Mexican president responded by saying that thanks to social media, “everything comes to light – including racism. He also joked with the head of Ukraine’s diplomatic mission, calling him “an ambassador of I don’t know which country” who “doesn’t even know what tamale is.”
Adopted at first reading
We treat refugees for free
The state assumes the payment of health contributions for emergency, pre-hospital and out-of-hospital care of Ukrainian refugees. These changes were voted by the deputies in the Health Insurance Act at first reading, after they debated for more than two hours in the plenary hall.
The lack of specifics provoked the opposition to say that the parliament is asked to give a “wet” or “rubber stamp” to something that is yet to be clarified. GERB, MRF and Vazrazhdane also accused that the money would come out of the pockets of Bulgarian citizens and their health contributions. The majority denied and announced that they would be financed by a European fund, which is not yet the case.
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