site.btaUPDATED Defence Minister: Cabinet "Very Serious" about Defence, Capabilities Development

Defence Minister Todor Tagarev had a video conference with the commanders of the Bulgarian military contingents abroad. He greeted the Bulgarian service persons in the NATO and EU missions in Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo and Iraq for the upcoming holidays, and told then that the government is "very serious" about defence and developing defence capabilities".

Chief of Defence Gen. Emil Eftimov also participated in the video conference. 

The video conference was organized by the Joint Command with the Defence Ministry with the participation of Joint Command Commander Gen. Valeri Tsolov and the national commanders of the EU mission ALTHEA in Bosnia and Hercegovina, Alexander Alexiev, of the NATO Stabilization Force in Kosovo, Lt. Col. Boyko Tsvetanov, and of the non-combat NATO mission in Iraq Lt. Col. Galin Dobrev.

The Defence Minister said that the budget for this year was increased by more than BGN 800 million compared to last year's budget. He stressed that although the budget was adopted in August, the Defence Ministry is on track to achieve "a breakthrough in its implementation". "This budget is being used for launching new projects, implementing contracts signed for the modernization of the armed forces, as well as for pay increase, additional incentives and rewards, and with an increase in travel allowances. This policy will continue next year," he said.

Tagarev noted that the adoption of the 2024 budget by the National Assembly is expected any moment and that the defence budget has already been approved, increasing by another BGN 800 million. "This will enable us to continue investment in building defence capabilities, participation in operations and developing interoperability," Tagarev stressed.

He said that participation in new operations is being discussed, as "unfortunately, the security situation in the world is not getting easier: it is getting more complicated." 

"Our country is considering how it can contribute to the US operation in the Red Sea," the Minister said as he took a reporter's question. The US has announced an upcoming operation and Bulgaria "is in contact with it and other countries that have an interest in stable safe navigation in this region and we are discussing options on how we could contribute to this operation," Tagarev said. He specified that there is no option for sending a ship to the Arabian Sea.

Asked whether Bulgaria has already sent 100 armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine, as the government and Parliament has decided, Tagarev said that work on the project is still underway. It is a joint effort of three ministries: of the interior, of defence and transport. "It will be implemented when we are ready and when they are ready to receive this equipment," he said.