Residents of Bezmer Continue to Express Concerns Over the Deployment of U.S. Aircraft

Residents of the village of Bezmer (Southeastern Bulgaria, Yambol district) remain concerned over the planned deployment of US aerial refuelling aircraft at the nearby air base. A new protest is expected to take place today, despite Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov's visit to the Yambol region and his meeting with the mayors of Bezmer and several other settlements, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the government's and Parliament's decision.

• After Meeting with the Defence Minister: Yambol Mayors Say Concerns over US Aircraft Deployment Have Eased

A petition launched in the days following the announcement has gathered nearly 475 signatures opposing the deployment of the aircraft, which have not yet arrived at the base.

Rosen Rusev, mayor of the village of Bezmer: “For me personally, after meeting with the minister, I felt somewhat reassured, though this may not satisfy everyone.

- Are people worried?

- They are worried—that’s putting it strongly—because they’ve stopped expressing their views directly to me. They don’t share their feelings, but they are more or less worried, but the issue certainly remains on their minds. A citizens' protest has been organised for 6.00pm today outside the Regional Administration."

The main concern among residents is the possibility of a real military conflict.

"Nothing has changed, and that is why we have come to protest. We do not want these American aircraft. They have no place here."

"We are afraid. We cannot sleep. Day and night we think about it. What they are doing, what they have decided, is not right. I think this should be postponed; those planes should be removed. We don’t need the Americans. We Bulgarians are enough here.”

Stoyan Marinov, municipal councillor in Tundzha Municipality from Vazrazhdane: "Apart from being a resident of Bezmer, I also have concerns as a municipal councillor because I have spoken to people from other settlements. Many of them are worried, including residents of Bezmer, neighbouring villages and Yambol. They fear that if the aircraft are deployed and there is a retaliatory strike by Iran, we will be among the areas most severely affected. We have already heard that a missile launched from Iran could reach here in less than ten minutes, and there is unlikely to be any force capable of responding in time. The majority of people living in our villages are elderly, and they would have even less time to react."