Viktor Orban, accused by a former president of being behind an anti-Bulgarian campaign in the Balkans

Rosen Plevneliev, president of Bulgaria during 2012-2017, urged the institutions in the country to take an attitude against what he claims to be an anti-Bulgarian campaign that leads Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and is supported by Serbian politicians, reports the Bulgarian BGNNite.com.

In his statement, Plevneliev said that Bulgaria must respond properly to the actions that, he argues not only regional security, but also the security of the European Union as a whole.

The former president asked the Bulgarian Parliament to initiate a debate in this regard. He pointed to the Bulgarian politicians who described Viktor Orban as a friend of Bulgaria in the past.

Rosen Plevneliev argues that the government of Viktor Orban and affiliated institutions, including press publications operating in Northern Macedonia, plays a central role in spreading anti-Bulgarian narratives. These efforts, says the former Bulgarian president, are no longer limited to the region, but have reached the European Parliament and the European Commission.

Plevneliev compared to the prime minister of Hungary with the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, accusing both of them to present themselves as friends of Bulgaria while working against Bulgarian interests.

Rosen Plevneliev reminded the case of former North-Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who claims he was known for the anti-Bulgarian positions and not only was financially supported by Hungary, but also granted political asylum after fled justice.

The former Bulgarian president claims that he had multiple confrontations with Gruevski during the term of office and that the support of Hungary for such people exposes the true nature of his political agenda in the region.