Romania and Bulgaria slam Russia's demands to move NATO troops as 'unacceptable'
CNN
NATO members Romania and Bulgaria slammed Russia's demand to remove alliance troops from both countries as "unacceptable," with each arguing that the Kremlin has no right to interfere in the foreign policy decisions of other sovereign states.
The comments from both countries came just hours after Russia's Foreign Ministry confirmed that its demand for NATO to pull back troops from parts of eastern Europe included Bulgaria and Romania. The two countries are located on the Black Sea, which analysts believe Moscow sees as an important geostrategic buffer zone between itself and Europe.
Romania's Ministry of Foreign affairs said in a statement Saturday "such a demand is unacceptable and cannot be negotiated." Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Moscow to "to show respect to the foreign policy choice consciously made by Bulgaria." Bulgaria's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Marin Raykov, told the BBC that the Kremlin's demand is "an expression of contempt for the sovereign rights of Bulgaria to choose the sources of guarantees for national security."
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