Bulgaria will not expel Russian diplomats for now: PM

By Ihvan Radoykov

SOFIA (AA) - While voicing support for Britain, Bulgaria on Friday said that for now it has no plans to expel Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in England.

"We express our full support for Great Britain, but we will not expel Russian diplomats at this point," Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said after a security council meeting in Sofia.

Borisov said they would wait for more evidence about the March 4 poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.

Boyko Kotzev, Bulgaria's ambassador in Moscow, was summoned for consultation, not to withdraw him from Russia, Borisov added.

"Ambassador Kotzev will return to Moscow on April 8," he said.

This week more than 20 Western countries -- including the U.S. -- expelled dozens of Russian diplomats in an orchestrated reaction following the Skripal poisoning, which Britain blames on Russia.

In retaliation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced Thursday that Russia decided to close the U.S. Consulate in Saint Petersburg and expel “the same number of diplomats.”