DEFENCE MINISTER: BULGARIA WILL NOT DIRECTLY PARTICIPATE IN THE CONFLICT WITH ISLAMIC STATE

Bulgaria may send humanitarian aid in support of the activities of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State, said Bulgaria’s Minister of Defense, Velizar Shalamanov on 24th of September. He added that Bulgaria would not have direct involvement in the conflict because the country’s air forces were not at the necessary level to participate in joint military operations of such intensity.

Shalamanov has said that like any state with democratic governance, Bulgaria also may feel threatened by terror groups, which do not share democratic values. He said that Bulgaria, jointly with EU and NATO, was providing the best possible protection from terrorist attacks and took measures especially in the area of intelligence, strengthening the structures for internal security and border control.