site.btaShalamanov: No Conflict of Interest in Signing of Memorandum between Defence Ministry and NCI Agency

Shalamanov: No Conflict of Interest in Signing of Memorandum between Defence Ministry and NCI Agency


Plovdiv, South Central Bulgaria, September 15 (BTA) - Defence
Minister Velizar Shalamanov told journalists here on Monday
there was no conflict of interest in the signing of a memorandum
 between the Defence Ministry and the NATO Communications and
Information Agency (NCI Agency).

Shalamanov was reacting to media stories, including in pan.bg,
which assumed that in his capacity as minister he may arrange
future deliveries for which Bulgarian taxpayers will pay.

He took leave from his post as Director Demand Management of the
 NCI Agency for the duration of his ministerial stint.

Shalamanov recalled that the memorandum was signed in 2010 so
there could not be a conflict of interest. The NCI Agency is
part of NATO, hence relations with any unit of the Alliance
constitute relations with NATO under the Washington Treaty, he
said.

Shalamanov said he accepted his appointment as defence minister
because President Rosen Plevneliev invited him and he wanted to
meet the challenge of planning the modernization of the armed
forces. The last 10 years saw the spending of 2,000 million
leva, but unfortunately the armed forces did not attain
capabilities that would make them highly efficient in the 21st
century, the Defence Minister said.

Shalamanov attended the first school day in Plovdiv's School of
Mathematics, which he finished 35 years ago. He and Mayor Ivan
Totev discussed the municipality's request to use properties no
longer needed by the military. SN/DD







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