site.btaConflict in Middle East Won't Spill to Bulgaria's Borders, but Refugee Flows Expected - Defence Minister

The conflict in the Middle East will not reach Bulgaria's borders in the military sense, but refugee flows are expected, caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov told NOVA TV here on Sunday evening. 

He pointed out that about a million people have left their homes in Lebanon, adding that these are the potential refugee flows. He reiterated that there is no direct military threat to Bulgaria.

"Our security services and our strategic intelligence work on a 24-hour basis, I receive information constantly," the Defence Minister said. "We are closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East," he said, adding that it is expected to escalate. 

All Bulgarian citizens who have expressed their wish to evacuate from Lebanon have already been evacuated, the caretaker Minister said. He explained that each flight was extremely complicated requiring coordination between many institutions both at national and international level. Zapryanov also said that some of Bulgaria's diplomatic staff remained there to coordinate and report about the situation. "If necessary, we should have someone to meet people who want to evacuate," he added.

The Minister was adamant that complicating the situation in the Middle East was in Russia's interest. There is information that it [Russia] has contributed to this escalation, Zapryanov added. He pointed out that he is not worried about Russia's attitude towards Bulgaria because this country is part of NATO and the European Union. "We follow a common security and defence policy of the EU and collective defence in NATO. Bulgaria does not threaten Russia in any way, but the opposite is true, Zapryanov added. 

He also commented on the Consultative Council on National Security convened by the President on Friday, saying that Bulgaria does not need to bring troops up to a higher level of readiness, but they should be available and reinforced along the borders. "We do not need to bring the troops to a higher level of readiness because of the conflict in the Middle East, but the Army needs to be staffed," Zapryanov said.