King Simeon for Novinite: Bulgaria Shouldn't Turn Its Back on Russia Just Because of NATO

As Novinite.com already reported, Bulgarian intellectuals, politicians and public figures have launched an initiative with the stated aim of making full use of the international authority of the country's last King and former Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to its benefit.

Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha received our editor Branimir Kondov at his Vrana residence on the outskirts of Sofia last week for an exclusive interview for Novinite.com, in which he said he was deeply moved by the initiative but warned against frivolous interpretations of its meaning.

He also commented on a number of other issues, including the art of coalition government, geopolitical tensions in Europe, challenges standing before Bulgaria and the benefits of new technologies.

Looking at the current political climate in Europe, do you see any parallels to events that had happened on the continent 70 or 100 years ago? Is Bulgaria under threat? Is peace in Europe under threat?

Look, I'm a great admirer of history, I've read much, I'm already well on years and I've always learnt lessons from the past, from history. I really believe many mistakes can be avoided, if we take into account the lessons of history. That's why I think we shouldn't make analogies between or draw parallels to whatever had happened before WWI - God forbid!

I strongly believe in the communication advantages we have today because many events can be prevented or explained in a blink of an eye before they turn into a crisis. While 100 years ago someone could say something that could ignite a fire before information was...