Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Press review

Photo: Maria Peeva

The papers today give extensive coverage to the incident with Bulgaria’s ex-ambassador to USA Elena Poptodorova at a duty-free shop at Warsaw airport.  

“Elena Poptodorova – embroiled in a shoplifting incident with cosmetics in Warsaw”, reads a headline carried by Sega newspaper. The paper quotes Polish media that the Bulgarian diplomat was apprehended by security guards outside the shop without having paid for cosmetics costing around 400 dollars. Poptodorova, who has a diplomatic passport declined contacts with the Bulgarian embassy in the Polish capital.

“Poptodorova – shoplifter or victim of hybrid war” reads a headline carried by 24 Chassa. The newspaper writes that after the news was made public in Poland, it was taken up in a flash by 90 different Russian forms of mass media which explicitly focus on the role of the Bulgarian diplomat in the country’s accession to the EU.

Dnevnik writes that Poptodorova has not worked at the foreign ministry since last year. The ministry’s press centre stated they did not know whether she was entitled to use her diplomatic passport after her term of office is over, the paper writes. Dnevnik adds that Elena Poptodorova was ambassador to USA twice – from 2002 until 2008 and from 210 until 2016. In the period from 1990 until 2001 she was a Bulgarian Socialist Party MP. In September 2016 Elena Poptodorova was appointed director of the new Warsaw office of Global Jewish Advocacy.

Trud carries a headline: “Poptodorova about the Warsaw incident: This is an absurd incident, I paid the fine.” “I was travelling to Bulgaria on an emergency – my mother who is 90 had a serious problem. To kill time at the airport, I entered the duty free zone and was taking a look at cosmetics. At that moment I received a call from Bulgaria and I went to look for a quitter spot to have the conversation. With all my attention on the conversation, I left the duty free zone with the product I was looking at,” says Poptodorova and adds that she was stopped by security guards and that she explained she had made an inadvertent mistake, apologized and paid the fine due. “And that was the end of it, I can’t imagine such an absurd incident, for which I of course am to blame and for which I am really sorry, attracting so much attention and being given such painful interpretations,” Trud writes, quoting Elena Poptodorova.

Compiled by Atanas Tsenov

English version: Milena Daynova  



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Constitutional Court building

Constitutional Court opens case following President Radev’s request for the constitutional changes to be annulled

The Constitutional Court has opened a case following the request by President Rumen Radev for the amendments to the Constitution, endorsed by the 49 th National Assembly, to be declared unconstitutional. These amendments concern the lifting of the..

published on 11/22/24 9:13 AM

Stormy winds, highs ranging from 6 to 20 degrees

On Friday, the wind from the south will increase and will be moderate and strong, near the northern slopes of the mountains of southern Bulgaria stormy wind is expected Clouds will be patchy, significant over the western areas, but will quickly begin..

published on 11/21/24 7:35 PM

A shortage of electricity is expected at the beginning of next year

According to an analysis by the Electricity System Operator, a shortage of electricity is expected as early as January and February next year. At a thematic conference organized by the Center for the Study of Democracy in Sofia, Delyan Dobrev from..

published on 11/21/24 6:09 PM