site.btaSecurity Council with Defence Ministry to Hold Extraordinary Meeting Monday

Sofia, August 27 (BTA) - The Security Council with the Council of Ministers will have an extraordinary meeting to discuss a new version of the document, Vision 2020: Bulgaria in NATO and in the European Defence. "We will have a position, which will serve as a basis for the debates at the NATO summit in Wales," caretaker Prime Minister Georgi Bliznashki said on Wednesday.

Taking a question, Bliznashki explained that the text, published on Tuesday and subsequently withdrawn, was a "rather rough, initial version". "I acted strictly saying that preliminary texts that have not been coordinated with the Prime Minister may not be published," said Bliznashki. He said that there will be a new text that will be publicized next week. The public and themain political parties will have an opportunity to comment on it.

The far-right Ataka Party and its leader Volen Siderov are organizing a protest against the Vision 2020 document in front of the Defence Ministry Wednesday afternoon. They will demand the resignation of Defence Minister Velizar Shalamanov. Siderov says that the document "is pushing us into a war with Russia".

Asked whether Russia is a threat for Bulgaria at present, the Prime Minister commented that the threat comes from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. "I do not want that we take a side but we do not approve of the occasional brutal actions of the Russian political leadership, the annexation of Crimea, etc. Therefore, we consider that the two sides should refrain from extreme actions," said Bliznashki.

He recalled that international pressure is being exerted to suppress tension in the region. Referring to the withdrawn document, the Prime Minister underscored that a conflict situation, however acute, cannot lead to long-term conclusions about the country's national security.