site.btaUPDATED Defence Minister: No Direct Military Threat to Bulgaria after US Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Facilities

There is no direct military threat to Bulgaria as a result of the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said at a briefing at the Council of Ministers here on Monday. "In terms of the radiation situation, there is no room for concern,” he noted, adding that the radiation level in Bulgaria is measured every four hours and no change has been found.

The briefing took place after a working meeting on the situation in the Middle East convened by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. The working meeting was attended by the Defence Minister, Chief of Defence Emil Eftimov, Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov, Economy and Industry Minister Petar Dilov, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov, and representatives of the security services.

"We will continue to monitor the situation. We hope that this pre-emptive strike, which was carried out [by the USA] on Iran's nuclear sites, will lead to a review of the Iranian side's behaviour and to a diplomatic solution of the issue of Iran's refusal to produce nuclear weapons," Zapryanov said. "Bulgaria is a party to Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, we would like Iran to give up its nuclear programme and reach a peaceful solution," the Minister also said.

According to Zapryanov, the Bulgarian Armed Forces will not change their mode of operation.

Evacuation of Bulgarian citizens from Israel is possible at their will, as flights have been restored. The Government is ready, if the situation worsens and civilian flights are disrupted, to take a decision on an emergency evacuation, the Defence Minister explained.

Since the beginning of the escalation of the situation and the mutual strikes between Israel and Iran, Bulgaria's security services and specialised agencies have been constantly monitoring the situation, Zapryanov noted.

"We expect the Alliance to focus on its defence and containment plans," the Minister said on the NATO Summit in The Hague, which starts Tuesday. Bulgaria's air and missile defence is part of NATO's, and any such threat to Bulgaria would also be NATO's response, Zapryanov added.

Bulgaria supports the US proposal for annual defence and security spending of 5% of the GDP, Zapryanov noted. According to him, this is likely to happen by 2035.