An Initiative Committee of over 1300 members stands against awarding the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin with the Doctor Honoris Causa title by the Veliko Tarnovo University in Bulgaria.

The Committee’s arguments, stated in a special declaration and announced at a big press-conference, are that the University’s democratic foundations and authority are being undermined, as well as that the award decision has been taken in contradiction with the institution’s own academic rules and under external pressure.

The reasons for the awarding also have nothing to do with the nomination.

• The title is awarded for contribution to legal sciences and Mr. Putin has a PhD in mine geology.
• The title is awarded for contribution to peace-keeping – the Russian Prime Minister is the last person that can be praised for contributions to preserving that great value of our society.
• The title is awarded for contribution to the friendship between Bulgaria and Russia at the beginning of the 21st century. This reason makes the Initiative Committee remember the years of the Soviet empire and not the new, democratic 21st century.
• -The link between Vladimir Putin and the Tarnovo Constitution, claimed by the University, is a purely political speculation. There can be no parallel between Alexander II’s reign, when the first Bulgarian Constitution was created, and Vladimir Putin’s personality and governance.

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