site.bta Allied Powers to Be Able to Join Bulgarian Armed Forces in Bulgarian Air Policing

Allied Powers to Be Able to Join Bulgarian Armed Forces in Bulgarian Air Policing

Sofia, February 5 (BTA) - The integrity of Bulgaria's airspace will be safeguarded by the Bulgarian Armed Forces independently or jointly with armed forces of Allied powers, according to Government-moved amendments to the Defence and Armed Forces Act that Parliament passed conclusively on Friday.

The joint missions will be carried out under terms and according to a procedure established by an international treaty or, in cases where emergency action needs to be taken, under terms and according to a procedure established by an act of the Council of Ministers on a motion of the Minister of Defence.

The joint missions with NATO Member States will be carried out under the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS), according to the applicable documents of the Alliance, the law-makers resolved.

In the debate, BSP-Left Bulgaria took a firm stand against the provision. Left MPs Atanas Zafirov and Georgi Bozhinov accused the power-holders of treason and were cautioned by National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva.

A motion by another Left MP, Angel Naydenov, making the participation of Bulgarian Armed Forces units, materiel and armaments mandatory for the joint missions, was defeated in the plenary vote.

The opponents to the legislation from BSP-Left Bulgaria argued that this option will be too expensive, urged the Cabinet to reconsider its defence policy, and even demanded the Defence Minister's dismissal.

"By these provisions, we declare symbolic war on the Russian Federation," independent MP Velizar Enchev pointed out, concurring with the opposition.

Valentin Radev MP of GERB stressed that at present Bulgarian aviation has obsolete fighter aircraft, and NATO airspace is defended jointly, it is not Bulgarian. "The Government is doing something very simple: keeping the MiG-29s in service," he explained, noting that if joint air policing missions are resorted to, they will be cheaper than buying a new aircraft.

Parliamentary Defence Committee Chairman Miho Mihov MP of ABV described the bill as "inapplicable". At the same time, he warned that if the Left's version is adopted, barring neighbouring countries from participation in Bulgarian air policing, it will open a diplomatic problem for the National Assembly. Mihov advised the opponents to the bill not to play the ethnopsychology card and called on the Government to take urgent measures for an improvement of the condition of Bulgarian military aviation.

According to another revision approved by the legislature, the Minister of Defence, acting on a motion by the Chief of Defence, will be competent to authorize the use of weapons and combat power by the Bulgarian Armed Forces and/or by the armed forces of Allied powers.