Bulgaria supported 21 EU sanctions packages after Patriarch Kirill was removed from the list.

Bulgaria is ready to support the European Union’s 21st sanctions package against Russia after Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill and Lukoil founder Vagit Alekperov were removed from the proposed sanctions list.

This was reported by the European Pravda newspaper, citing a statement from Bulgarian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Velislava Petrova.

According to the head of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sofia’s reservations were taken into account during the preparation of the document.

“The Bulgarian reservations have been taken into account, and these two individuals are no longer included in the proposed package, so for our part, we are ready to support this package,” Petrova said.

She also reported that, at Bulgaria’s request, the head of a company supplying components for the capital’s Sofia metro was removed from the sanctions list.

The Minister stressed that the lack of consensus on the adoption of the 21st sanctions package during the meeting of the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) on July 12 was due to objections from two other states, not Bulgaria.

“Consensus wasn’t reached because two countries, not Bulgaria, had their own reservations that weren’t taken into account. In our case, our position was taken into account, so we can support it. Another important message in this case is that defending one’s national position doesn’t lead to isolation,” Petrova noted.

Italy previously spoke out against EU sanctions against Patriarch Kirill.