Bulgaria Has Sent Eight Military Aid Packages to Ukraine, All in Accordance with Parliament’s Decisions

UPDATED Bulgaria Has Sent Eight Military Aid Packages to Ukraine, All in Accordance with Parliament’s Decisions

Momchil Rusev, Matey Todorov

Opening of the new academic year at the G. S. Rakovski Military Academy (BTA Photo)

Sofia,

03.09.2024 11:22 | UPDATED 03.09.2024 16:49

(BTA)

Bulgaria has sent eight packages of arms, equipment and ammunition to Ukraine, all in strict compliance with the decisions of the National Assembly, caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov told journalists in response to a question about photos on social networks of Bulgarian self-propelled howitzers "Gvozdika" in Ukraine. The Minister attended the opening of the new academic year at the G. S. Rakovski Defence College.

“I can confirm that there was such equipment,” Zapryanov said when asked whether Bulgaria had sent such weapons, but explained that he could not confirm that the equipment in the photos was a Bulgarian howitzer, as all former Warsaw Pact countries continue to help Ukraine and send such systems.

“All the packages that have been sent, there are eight of them, include different weapons, equipment, ammunition, and are strictly in accordance with the decisions of the National Assembly,” Zapryanov said. “These are packages with weapons, equipment, ammunition, which are redundant for the Bulgarian army,” the Minister added.

The Defence Minister said that all packages sent are subject to a compensatory refund, and Bulgaria is expecting very large sums, which will be reinvested in the modernization of the army.

“There has been an increase in terms of enrolment in military schools as we are trying to fill 100% of cadet positions in the higher military schools,” Zapryanov said, adding that the outflow of officers has been stopped.

Asked about Serbia's purchase of French Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft, Zapryanov was adamant: "Bulgaria is a NATO Member State, our defence is guaranteed by the allies. Next year we will receive the first eight F 16 Block 70 aircraft, and then the other eight. It is a normal process for countries to replace old equipment with new. A priority in our policy is the integration of the countries of the Western Balkans into the EU. Serbia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, are members of NATO's Partnership for Peace initiative, and we are building good neighbourly relations with them. We do not see the rearmament of our armed forces as a threat to our neighbours and we accept their rearmament as a transparent process of national decision that is not a threat to us."

/DD/