PRESIDENT, PM, DEFENCE MINISTER: BULGARIA WILL NOT TAKE PART IN ROMANIAN INIATIVE FOR BLACK SEA FLEET

Bulgaria’s President Rosen Plevneliev together with Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the Minister of Defence Nikolai Nenchev gave a joint briefing on 16th of June regarding unofficial information acciording to which Turkey intended to suspend the agreement with Bulgaria for readmission of illegal migrants because Bulgaria opposed Black Sea fleet countering Russia.

President Plevneliev remarked that in his talks with the Romanian President Iohannis on 15th of June, the latter had put forward the possibility of a military regional cooperation, but clarified that this initiative would be within the NATO framework. “It is about joint drills, coordination, joint principle, on rotational basis”, Plevneliev said. "Let's stop with the speculations that fleets will be set up against anyone," he added.

There is nothing extraordinary, nothing else happening in Bulgaria except what corresponds to the plans, he said.

He noted that what is done in the area of Bulgaria’s defence corresponds to the strategic documents. He added that no initiative or action by the government can be improvised and they correspond to the strategic programme and plan. Even if one BGN is invested in defence, it is approved by the Council of Ministers and Parliament and has to be within the frames of the Programme.

The President specified that there was a programme for development of the armed forces up to the year 2020 and nothing about that programme had changed. Plevneliev added that there was a development plan for the armed forces, in which “there is an appropriate assessment of the situation regarding the risks in the Black Sea region and we stand behind this assessment”.

The priorities included the acquisition of two patrol boats and that is not a surprise, Plevneliev said. If it is included in the programme – we fulfil it, if it is not – we will not, he said.

He clarified that what we did with the armed forces was to enhance their compatibility with NATO partners, which meant that every imitative would be within the framework of NATO.

Bulgaria will take part with up to 400 military personnel for preparation of drills on rotational basis.

He went on saying that the Romanian colleagues had raised the issue of a new initiative on regional co-operation in maritime defence, but he underlined that this initiative was in the context of NATO.

Plevneliev called for stopping the speculations in the media that fleets would be set up. Bulgaria is not part of similar proposals, he added.

Bulgaria’s Minister of Defence Nikolai Nenchev confirmed the words of the President and added that all talks were coordinated with the President and the Prime Minister.

Defence minister Nenchev said that he had a meeting with his Romanian counterpart, at which the initiative of Romania and Turkey regarding setting up a fleet was presented and explained he expressed disagreement to it and added that if such issue would be raised, it should be at the level of the NATO political leadership.

We haven’t taken any other commitments outside this framework and no talks were held between Romania, Turkey and Bulgaria for setting up a fleet.

PM Borissov also said that the topic of fleet was dismissed by him, by the President and the minister of defence.

“I always say that we are a peaceful country. I want to see sailing boats, yachts, ships with tourists in the Black Sea. I do not want the Black Sea to become a place for military action, ” Borissov said.

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