SOVIET INTEREST

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 39, 26 November 1940, Page 3

SOVIET INTEREST

BULGARIA AND GERMANY. VISIT BY BORIS TO BERLIN. (United Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, November 25. The Moscow radio reports that considerable differences of opinion on Bulgaria’s domestic and foreign policy were shown in the Bulgarian Parliament a few days ago when a debate began on the King’s speech to Parliament. One member of the Chamber of deputies demanded that King Boris’s visit to Berlin should be clarified.

Moscow’s interest in Bulgarian affairs has engaged the attention of Balkan diplomats. It is considered not unimportant that Moscow has referred to the strong feeling •in Bulgaria against subservience to Germany, and Moscow’s action in giving prominence to this debate may, it is thought, have some hearing on the situation. Tlie Ankara correspondent of “'The Times,” discussing Bulgaria’s future, says that Herr Hitler is believed c° have hinted to King Boris that the time was opportune for Bulgaria io take action to realise her territorial claims. He pointed out the advantages of an alliance with Germany King Boris is reported to have given an assurance of Bulgaria’s pro-AMs sympathies, but he added that small, weak countries could not risk involvement in battles between giants. The Belgrade correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says that a former Bulgarian Premier (M. Mushanov), answering a statement by a Government spokesman, M. Doumanov, in Parliament, that Bulgaria claims frontier revision at the expense of Yugoslavia and Greece, accused the Government of not consulting Parliament and the people. He added: “I demand to know if Bulgaria is for peace. I say the people are for peace.” There is indignation at Bulgarian claims on Yugoslavia aiid Macedonia. It is alleged that M. Doumanov is an agent provocateur Peeking to embroil Yugoslavia with Germany. Passage of Troops.

In Ankara and Belgrade the general opinion is that the Germans are attempting to get Yugoslavia and Turkey to acquiesce to the transport of troops, which are badly needed to reorganise the disorganised Italian Army.

It is considered that Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini, mainly because of the failure of the Italian campaign in Greece, have got' themselves into a muddle.

Whether Bulgaria will offer any resistance to a German attempt to transport troops through that territory is still uncertain, and the position is fUrtlher complicated because the Yugoslav people have been able to observe the fate that befel Rumania through agreement with German proposals. They have seen what has happened in “little Greece.” The Berlin radio has warned the Greek Prime Minister (General Metaxas) that his recent declaration that Greece is fighting for the preservation of the rights of other small nations as well as her own is exceedingly daring and likely to result in an extension of the war.

Meanwhile the Berlin radio has also been openly hinting that Yugoslavia is joining tho Axis. Newspaper correspondents from Budapest report that Yugoslav newspapers have reaffirmed the country’s determination to defend its integrity.

One report from Budapest says that Herr von Papen, the German Ambassador to Turkey, has gone on a mission to Ankara, in which he proposes to offer highly favourable economic and trade relations to Turkey if she will join tho Axis.

Herr von Papen lias denied the German radio and news agency assertion that he had declared* that Italy and Germany would subject Turkey to the new order in Europe, but would respect Turkish independence), “Such a statement,” he said, “would be contrary to all diplomatic usage.”