Sofia opposed adding Patriarch Kirill of Moscow to the sanctions list following a telephone conversation between Patriarch Kirill and Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil.

Political adviser to the European Parliament Petar Tanev made the statement during a broadcast on Slawa.

He recalled the discussions surrounding the European Union’s 21st package of sanctions and Sofia’s opposition to including Patriarch Kirill of Moscow on the sanctions list.

Tanev linked Bulgaria’s position to a telephone conversation between Patriarch Kirill and Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil.

“That day, Patriarch Kirill called Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil and asked him to do everything possible to prevent this from happening. The Bulgarian Patriarch then called Mr Rumen Radev (Bulgaria’s prime minister, according to LF) and told him that everything possible must be done to keep Patriarch Kirill off the sanctions lists,” he explained.

Tanev is convinced that the Russian Orthodox Church remains one of the channels through which Russia exerts influence in Bulgaria.

As LF previously reported, Bulgaria stated that it would not support the European Union’s new, 21st package of sanctions against Russia because it included Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

We previously reported that Moscow has long used the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which maintains close ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, as an instrument of “soft power” to promote the ideas of Slavic and Orthodox brotherhood.