site.btaDefence Minister Not Invited to Caretaker Government, "Will Decline If Asked"

Outgoing Defence Minister Todor Tagarev said on bTV on Sunday he has not been asked to stay on in the future caretaker government, but even if he is approached with such a proposal, he will decline it because this particular caretaker government will be politically coloured. He said his view on what is critically important to do in the field of defence has been clearly at variance with the opinions of the GERB party over the last few months.

The affiliation of Prime Minister-designate Dimitar Glavchev with GERB has drawn many comments that the caretaker government will not be neutral politically.

"Who becomes defence minister is important because the situation is very complicated," Tagarev said. He noted that Bulgaria is currently working "along a very expansive frontline, under quite a few initiatives". "It would be best to hand my job over to someone who knows the problems well, holds similar views about these problems, and can continue looking for solutions with his team."

Tagarev argued: "Many people are failing to realize that a minister of defence, especially when a war is raging so near, has very important functions and a very important role in the making of decisions in NATO and the EU."