Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Head of State has not refused to appoint Bulgarian ambassador in Kiev, press ofice said

Rumen Radev
Photo: EPA/BGNES

Bulgaria's president has not refused to appoint a new ambassador to Ukraine, Rumen Radev's press service said. 

There was a proposal from the Denkov-Gabriel cabinet for an ambassador to Ukraine in October 2023, which the president had approved, but the presidential registry never received a decision from the Council of Ministers to issue Radev's decree on his appointment, the release said. The proposed ambassador was not Nikolai Nenchev, whom the caretaker government of Dimitar Glavchev wanted to send to Kiev, the presidential press service clarified. President Radev is said to have rejected the appointment of Nikolai Nenchev to the post in the summer of 2023.

The presidency specifies that in October 2023, foreign minister Mariya Gabriel proposed that the mission in Kyiv be headed by Petar Tanev, who was an advisor in the embassy. A decision was taken by the Council of Ministers, but it was not sent to the presidency for a presidential decree to be issued, as required by procedure.

Nikolay Nenchev
"An answer to the question of why the procedure for appointing the candidate proposed by the Foreign Ministry as Bulgaria's ambassador to Ukraine has not been completed should be sought from the ministry," the press release said.

"The whole affair is very sad. It is a symptom of weak statehood in the most difficult period after the Second World War in terms of security and international order," former Defence Minister Velizar Shalamanov told BNR. According to him, in this case personal relations predominate and there is a sharp confrontation between institutions on fundamental issues. "It is very likely that the person proposed for this coordination has proved unacceptable to the Ukrainian side," Shalamanov suggested. 

Former defence minister Nikolay Nenchev will temporarily head the Bulgarian embassy in Ukraine. The decision was taken by the caretaker government to end more than a year of stalemate between the Council of Ministers and President Rumen Radev over sending a diplomat to Kiev. The Bulgarian embassy has officially been without an ambassador since April 2023, BTA reported.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgaria wants to invite mayors from Taraclia to gain insight into how the European Union functions

Bulgaria supports the start of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, said Bulgaria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev during the EU Foreign Affairs Council held in Luxembourg. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos..

published on 10/21/25 9:54 AM

President Radev appoints ambassadors to Belgium, the Netherlands and Kazakhstan

President Rumen Radev has issued decrees appointing Bulgarian ambassadors to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Kazakhstan. The decrees were published in the State Gazette, reported BTA. Natalia Evgenieva..

published on 10/21/25 9:14 AM

Sofia’s Da Fest explores signals from an uncertain world

The 10th edition of the International Festival Da Fest presents works by leading global digital artists. Organised by Da Lab and the National Academy of Art, the five-day event begins today in Sofia. This year's theme, “Anxiety: Signals from an..

published on 10/21/25 9:05 AM