Regarding the US request for extraditing Bulgarian citizen Zhelyaz Andreev, charged with violating the Syria trade embargo, Ombudsman Maya Manolova commented that at this point efforts should be focused on providing the financial resources for the Bulgarian national’s defence at the American court in Miami.

Manolova was adamant that it is imperative to set up an expert group for a full or partial revision of the extradition treaty with USA, as other, similar cases may occur in the future. The Bulgarian Ombudsman also demanded a comparison between the Bulgaria-US treaty and the treaty between the EU and the USA to determine whether European citizens are not better protected than the citizens of Bulgaria.