site.bta Bulgaria Insists Decision for Additional Military Presence in Black Sea to Be Solely NATO's

Bulgaria Insists Decision for  Additional Military Presence in Black Sea to Be Solely NATO's

Brussels, October 27 (BTA Correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev said here that he expects Bulgaria and Romania to define their positions by December about the additional NATO presence in the Black Sea.

Nenchev participated Wednesday in Meetings of NATO Ministers of Defence. Earlier, the Minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bulgaria and NATO in the field of cyber defence.

"I was against getting into negotiations with Romania and Turkey over this question. I continue to insist that if such a decision is made, it should be NATO's and not coming from separate countries from the Alliance, and I believe this to be fair," the Defence Minister told Bulgarian journalists in NATO headquarters. This matter has been the subject of discussion for a while now, but still lacks a conclusive decision, Nenchev said, adding that he has conferred with his Romanian counterpart. "Maybe we will have a joint position, we are to meet in December to clarify our positions on the matter," he said. Many NATO defence ministers have expressed concerns over what is happening in the Black Sea region and asked for an enhanced presence, in the form of NATO trainings and exercises, he explained.

Nenchev noted that the first session of the NATO defence ministers' meeting does not make any decisions. The question about the Black Sea region continues to be on the agenda and there is no conclusive decision, he added. Bulgaria will participate in the multinational brigade in Romania with a battalion of up to 400 servicemen. The battalion will not be stationed there permanently, but will participate in trainings and exercises on an as needed basis, Nenchev explained.

The Minister also said that Britain has expressed an interest in defending Bulgaria's air space. According to him, there is a need to enhance security in this part of the Alliance. Talks with Poland continue and Bulgaria expects their specific proposals and parameters pretty soon. There is nothing bad about this mission, Nenchev said. Opionins were aired in Bulgaria that the foreign presence in the air policing came as a result of insufficient capabilities because the fighter jets have had their resources exhausted, which is not true, the Minister said. This is a NATO mission that is being conducted in Romania and other countries and Bulgaria could be included. "We can achieve good parameters with Poland and Britain," he commented.

Bulgaria will participate in NATO's new operation in the Mediterranean Sea with one frigate on a rotational basis for a month, several times a year. Answering a question whether Bulgarian servicemen will be sent to the battalions in the Baltic countries, Nenchev said that no such request has been made and Bulgaria has not expressed any intentions to participate.