We do not consider the note from Iran as a document containing a direct military threat to our country, said caretaker Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov in the program “Sunday 150“ on the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) about the document sent by the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Bulgaria in connection with the American tanker aircraft at the “Vasil Levski“ Airport – Sofia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken a position on this issue. The note from Iran falls within the context of normal diplomatic practice and communication, Zapryanov pointed out. We maintain normal bilateral relations with Iran, a normal political dialogue is being conducted, he added.
Minister Zapryanov explained that at the very beginning of the acceptance of the aircraft on our territory, at the request of the Iranian side, we informed them about the nature of this acceptance.
There is no change, there are no new requests from the Americans regarding the deployment of the aircraft and their use, he stated.
We are in the hypothesis and in the legal situation for pre-deployment of aircraft on our territory in relation to the Eastern Flank of the Alliance. As the Foreign Minister has already noted, no fighter jets are flying over our airspace, no such aircraft are being refueled, and no such overflights over our territory have been requested at all, Minister Zapryanov said.
Some European countries refused direct overflights of aircraft that are participating in the operation and military actions in Iran. No such requests have been made to Bulgaria, so we are observing what we have agreed and are not participating in any way in this war between the US, Israel, and Iran. NATO is also not participating, the caretaker minister also stated.
He specified that Bulgaria is conducting planned events on the line of NATO and exercises. More than a week ago, there were live fire exercises on our territory, aircraft of allied countries flew and returned to their bases, the minister added.
Our desire is to reduce the workload of the airports in Sofia. Moreover, the intensity of flights will be increased, as the number of flights increases after April 15, said Atanas Zapryanov and explained that talks are being held in this direction. We also understand the concern of the Bulgarian public regarding the fact that there are fighter jets at our national airport, so we are looking for a solution and I hope to find a positive one, the Minister of Defense commented.
We are integrated into the unified air defense system of NATO, he said regarding the protection of the country's airspace. The security of Bulgaria's defense is guaranteed within the framework of NATO's collective defense, Zapryanov answered a question whether it is not better for Bulgaria to have a more autonomous army. Any militarization of our country will lead to a blow in terms of spending on economic development and social needs, he believes. According to him, within the framework of coalition defense, with minimal national resources, we guarantee our constitutional obligations.
NATO is the guarantor that allows us to have air defense, missile defense in these complex conditions of unpredictable risks, the military minister stated. I agree that NATO is facing a very serious test from the point of view of the declarations of the American leadership about leaving the Alliance, but I believe that the member states, including Bulgaria, are free to express their position on an equal footing within the framework of the Alliance, Minister Zapryanov commented. He also said that he is optimistic that the difficult moments in the relations of the US administration with NATO will be overcome.