Bulgaria: YPAM satisfied with the information it receives from the security services

Defense Minister Dragomir Zakov made it clear that he was satisfied with the information he was receiving from the security services. “The services provide accurate information, but sometimes they differ in the conclusions they draw. This really happened at the beginning of the military crisis (in Ukraine). At the moment I have nothing critical of the services and information I receive,” he told journalists after the hearing in the Parliamentary Committee on Defense.

The defense minister has therefore distanced himself from critics of the special services, particularly members of the ruling Democratic Party of Bulgaria, who have repeatedly stated that the information provided by the Bulgarian services is insufficient.

Democratic Bulgaria co-chair Atanas Atanasov said security services had insisted until the last minute that Russia was not going to attack Ukraine and that there would be no armed conflict.

Asked to explain this, Zakov said the start of the war in Ukraine was “an irrational decision that led to a specific action, which is always difficult to predict, especially at a time when diplomatic choice was still on the table.” “. “However this was among the scenarios,” he added.

Asked for details about the battalion set up in Bulgaria, Zakov said it was a battle group with Bulgaria as the leader, as described in the government decision. “NATO, however, has plans to protect its member states and these plans are active and include Bulgaria and Romania. So we have a joint plan and there is a process according to which the battle group will be commanded. “It remains on Bulgarian soil, its commander is Bulgarian and Bulgaria continues to be the leading country,” Zakov said.

He added that allied troops could join the battle group if necessary, in case of lack of capacity and as provided by the government decision. Any NATO ally can join and proposals have been made and Bulgaria is considering them.

Asked if Bulgarian troops could be sent abroad, Zakov said “not at the moment” and that such a move was useless.

“Nothing has changed since yesterday and there is no immediate military threat to Bulgaria,” the defense minister said.

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ

Source: Capital

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