Russia and Bulgaria.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 5013, 22 May 1889, Page 3

Russia and Bulgaria.

INTERVIEW WITH M. ZiNKOFF. Telegraphing on March 28, the Belgrade correspondent of the London Standard says I had this morning a conversation with M. Zankoff, who arrived here on Monday. Making every allowance for the bias of the speaker, his remarks were full of interest. He said “ I have come to Belgrade so aa to be as near as possible to Sofia, and ready to cross the border directly a change occurs there. By Bulgarian law, 1 cannot approach within thirty kilometres of the frontier, but I can wait here. It may be a few weeks, perhaps a little longer. Prince Ferdinand pujgt know that he cannot rmgin on the

throne. The longer he stays the more painful and degrading will be hie exit. Instead of copying the Battenberg, he should have followed the example of Ring Milan, who, when he saw it was impossible to continue on the throne, resigned the government’to the hands of the party possessing the people’s confidence. 1 ; I.was once an implacable enemy to Xing Milan. Now, he has all my respect. “If Prince Ferdinand were now to tender his resignation to the heads of parties, and ask them to nominate his successor, his name would always be honoured. But, so long as he continues in open opposition to tho national wishes, ho will bo more and more detested every day. He knows as well as anybody that his resignation is inovtable, and it only remains for him to perform ths act gracefully. When I was in Yienna I asked whether any personal friend of his would convey to him this advice, hut could find no one to undertake the task. Should you go to Sofia, you would bo doing a great service both to the Prince and Bulgaria if you could make him understand.

“ You say his case is different from Milan’s because the latter left a son ready to succeed him. But there are plenty of successors ready for Bulgaria. Not that Russia has any particular candidate. I thought she had before I caw the Czar, but now I am convinced to the contrary. Russia will leave it entirely to the Bulgarians to choose their ruler this time, though I do not think he will be a German. It is now becoming generally recognised that, as I learned long since, Russia, and not either Germany or Austria, is the natural guardian of the Balkan States. When it a question of choice between Russia and Austria, neither Servia,-Bulgaria, Bosnia, nor Herzegovina can or will hesitate for a moment. I have followed the tendency of national sentiment for more than thirty years, and from Russophobe I have changed to Russophil. I may assure you that tho sympathies of these peoples are to a man with Russia.”