Former agents of the Communist National Security Service not entitled to hold certain posts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The amendment to the Diplomatic Service Act, which restricts former agents of the Communist National Security Service (NSS) to hold certain posts in the system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), were adopted at first reading in Parliament yesterday. GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) MPs and the lawmakers of the Blue Coalition and independent MPs voted in favour of the draft bill. BSP (Bulgarian Socialist Party) lawmakers opposed it, while the MPs of Ataka party and MRF (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) abstained.
According to the proposals, the former NSS collaborators serving now in foreign missions should be dismissed and re-appointed to different posts in the diplomatic corps. The changes were imposed as last year it became clear that a significant part of our diplomats were former NSS agents.

"The Bulgarian State cannot afford not to react when evidence comes to light that senior diplomats are graduates of KGB's Academy in Moscow and they allege that they are acting as diplomats," explained the Foreign Minister, Nikolay Mladenov during the 2-hour debates. According to him, "the moment when these secret files are released to the public and everyone can read them on the Internet, as is the case now, the Bulgarian State will be placed in a very awkward situation". According to Mladenov, the amendments shall not restrict the labour rights of any official of the MFA, but will create conditions for the implementation of the demand of the National Assembly for not allowing people affiliated with the Communist National Security Service to represent Bulgaria to the world.

"This inferior law contains nine unconstitutional texts. The remaining texts, however, were fabricated as a legal camouflage or legal ballast. What is the main purpose of this inferior law? Obviously, it is aimed at lustration and discrimination. This is the final goal. The rest is delusion and your actions confirm that," announced from the parliamentary rostrum, Lyuben Kornezov from Coalition for Bulgaria, a former constitutional judge. In his words, the nine texts of the law are unconstitutional.

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