site.btaTISP Floor Leader Questions Whether Joining France's Nuclear Umbrella Initiative Would Make Bulgaria Potential Target

Speaking in Parliament's lobby on Friday, There Is Such a People (TISP) Floor Leader Toshko Yordanov questioned whether joining France's nuclear umbrella initiative would make Bulgaria a potential target. 

Earlier in the day, Atanas Atanassov MP of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and leader of Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), urged President Iliana Iotova to hold a meeting of the Consultative Council on National Security (CCNS) to discuss President Emmanuel Macron's initiative to extend the deterrent to cover other European countries. DSB also proposed that former president Rumen Radev's political entity be invited to join the meeting, as polls indicate it is certain to enter the next parliament.

“Radev’s political entity cannot attend the CCNS because only parties currently represented in Parliament participate,” Yordanov said.

The TISP Floor Leader also criticized CC-DB for the country’s extremely poor air defence. “We gave Ukraine our air defence system, defective S-300 missiles,” he said. “Currently, there are only a minimal number of missiles to protect the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, Sofia, and the entire country. Essentially, this is a volley of fireworks. We donated everything else,” Yordanov added. 

“Do we have anything that can intercept a ballistic missile? The answer is no. Do we have anything that can intercept a hypersonic missile? The answer is no. Our only defence in this case is NATO, because the missile over Turkiye was shot down by NATO,” he said. As to the nuclear umbrella initiative, he added: “I think that is too aggressive a statement. Is there a need for it, and could it end up making us a potential target for Russia, China, or other nuclear powers?“

Commenting on reports saying that the notice about the deployment of US tanker aircraft in Bulgaria had arrived during the Rosen Zhelyazkov government, Yordanov said that no meeting of the Council of Ministers was held at that time. “The then Defence Minister did not inform the Council of Ministers. Ask him why. I asked him several times, but he did not respond. Afterward, the matter was discussed in Gurov’s Cabinet,” Yordanov added.