Political Reactions to the Deployment of US Aerial Refuelling Aircraft at Bezmer Air Base

The United States has formally requested permission, through a diplomatic note, to deploy up to eight aerial refuelling aircraft at Bezmer Air Base in support of military operations in the Middle East. This was announced by Prime Minister Rumen Radev. Later in the afternoon, the government approved the request and submitted it to Parliament for discussion, which is the institution that ultimately gives the final decision.

Under Decision No. 558, the government proposes that the Parliament approve the deployment at Bezmer Air Base of up to eight Boeing KC-135 aircraft, together with their crews and up to 250 military personnel, ground staff and support personnel, along with their standard weapons and equipment, for the period from 24 July to 1 October. The move prompted immediate political reactions.

The diplomatic note was received on 17 July, at the end of the working day.

Rumen Radev, Prime Minister: "We received a diplomatic note from the US Embassy requesting the deployment of up to eight aerial refuelling aircraft at Bezmer Air Base to support US operations in the Middle East, referring to the 2006 Defence Cooperation Agreement between Bulgaria and the United States. Bezmer Air Base is a jointly used military facility. Despite the urgency of the request, we have not granted permission so far because, under Bulgarian law, such a decision must be taken by the Bulgarian Parliament."

Radev accused the previous two governments of bypassing Parliament when 10 US aerial refuelling aircraft were deployed in February.

Rumen Radev, Prime Minister: "The governments of Peevski and Borissov misrepresented the nature of that deployment. They bypassed the Bulgarian Parliament, which should have taken the decision. Subsequently, Guyrov's caretaker government extended the deployment by a Council of Ministers decision, and at the end of May our government was asked to extend it for a significantly longer period. The problem was that the military aircraft were based at a civilian airport in the immediate vicinity of the capital."

GERB disagreed with the Prime Minister's account, producing the previous diplomatic note and arguing that the February deployment had been related to military exercises.

Hristo Gadzhev, GERB: "When the matter comes before Parliament, we will ask the Ministry of Defence to provide both diplomatic notes — the one from February and the one from July. Yesterday, shortly before the World Cup final, members of the parliamentary Defence Committee were informed via the committee's chat that an extraordinary meeting would be held tomorrow, without even colleagues from Progressive Bulgaria knowing what would be discussed. Clearly, the grounds are now different — in February it was participation in an exercise, whereas now it concerns participation in military operations and the use of air bases for this type of mission."

GERB nevertheless announced that it would support the new US request.

The Movement for Rigjhts and Freedoms also said in a statement that it would back the proposal, citing its firm commitment to Euro-Atlantic values.

Delyan Peevski, leader of the MRF: "The MRF Parliamentary Group will vote in favour of granting permission for the deployment of up to eight aerial refuelling aircraft at Bezmer Air Base. Our position reflects our firm conviction, as Euro-Atlanticists, that we must consistently uphold our values and remain a loyal and predictable partner as a member of both the European Union and NATO."

Democratic Bulgaria (DB) is now calling on President Yotova to convene the Consultative Council for National Security (CCNS) not only over Ukraine, but also because of the situation in the Middle East.

Ivaylo Mirchev, co-chair of Yes, Bulgaria: "Before we vote on Prime Minister Radev's proposal to once again allow US aerial refuelling aircraft to be deployed in Bulgaria, we must receive the full information from the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence and the Bulgarian security services, and we also need to understand what progress has been made on the issue of lifting US visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens."

We Continue the Change (WCC) said it was waiting to see the Prime Minister's recommendations on the deployment of the eight aircraft at Bezmer Air Base and also wanted clarification on the issue of US visa requirements.

We Continue the Change: "Under the Bulgarian Constitution, foreign policy is determined by the government. We are looking forward to seeing the Prime Minister's recommendations regarding the deployment of eight aircraft at Bezmer Air Base, which he must submit to the National Assembly – whether they will be written on multi-layered paper or not. We are also still waiting for Mr Radev to report on the progress of the process to secure the lifting of US visa requirements."

Vazrazhdane declared that it would oppose the proposal.

Tsoncho Ganev, Vazrazhdane: "Radev's claim that Parliament should decide is cynical, because he has an absolute majority. Let's not blur the issue by saying that Parliament made the decision. No, Parliament did not decide – Radev did. Vazrazhdane is the only political force that will not support Bulgaria's involvement in this war, and we are categorically opposed."

The request is due to be discussed by Parliament's Defence Committee on July 21, with a final vote expected to be put to a vote in the plenary chamber.