President Radev described the entry of American troops into a private factory during a military exercise as unacceptable

"It is absolutely unacceptable to have the life and calm of Bulgarian citizens put at risk by military units, be they part of the Bulgarian or foreign armed forces,"Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev said on May 31, commenting on an incident which took place on May 11 when US troops participating in a military exercise “Swift Response”” burst into the premises of a private factory near the village of Cheshnegirovo (South Central Bulgaria).

Today President Radev met with caretaker Defence Minister Georgi Panayotov and Lieutenant General Lyubcho Todorov, Commander of the Joint Forces Command.

The Head of State expects a thorough check to identify the officials responsible for the incident, as well as a review of the organization and safety measures taken during military exercises.

"Exercises in Bulgarian territory involving our Allies should contribute to security and trust in collective defence, instead of causing tension among Bulgarian citizens," he said.

Caretaker Defence Minister Panayotov reported the incident to the President and said he had met with the owner of the factory. Further meetings will be held with the US side to ensure full clarification of the incident and prevention of such "extremely unpleasant and disturbing misunderstandings".

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The workshop for production of non-standard equipment for the food industry is guarded by an alarm system and 18 security cameras. The security cameras footage showed how the uniformed soldiers entered the workshop with pointed weapons, ordered the people working there to sit down and carry out a tactical military operation on the premises.

During this operation, a group of soldiers secured the perimeter outside the company's yard. There were also soldiers in front of the workshop portal.

Today, the Ministry of Defence offered official apologies for the incident on May 11.

The U.S. Army also apologised to the private company and employees in the building. And they said they would put in place strict procedures to clearly delineate preparation areas and prevent similar incidents in the future.

The US Embassy in Bulgaria has already expressed readiness to cooperate in any investigation. Complaints of the owners of the workshop were filed with the District Prosecutor's Office in Plovdiv and the Military District Prosecutor's Office.

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