site.btaCaretaker Ministers Should Stay Out of Party Headquarters, Says PM Gurov

Speaking at a briefing at the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria on Thursday, caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov said that members of the caretaker cabinet had no place in party headquarters and should focus on their duties to ensure the security and peace of mind of Bulgarian citizens. His remarks followed a meeting of the Security Council with the Council of Ministers in connection with the conflict in the Middle East.

Earlier in the day, Boyko Borissov, leader of GERB, met with caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov ahead of the Security Council meeting. Their conversation was broadcast live on Facebook.

Zapryanov told reporters that the decision to deploy US aircraft in Bulgaria had been taken on February 17 and 18 during the term of the government led by former prime minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, with GERB as the mandate-holding party. He said he had signed the decision and informed both the political force and the prime minister at the time. Zapryanov added that GERB’s continued support was important for the implementation of this decision under the caretaker cabinet as well.

Zapryanov stressed that he was not a party member but an expert who had accepted the invitation to join the caretaker government in a professional capacity. He argued that the current situation required a pro-Euro-Atlantic majority and parliamentary backing on the issue, as it concerned national security and defence.

According to Zapryanov, his talks with Borissov focused on two matters: whether GERB would maintain its support for the decision on the deployment of US aircraft, which he said it would, and forthcoming parliamentary decisions related to the EU SAFE instrument. He added that he did not view the meeting as a party visit but as talks with a political force that shared responsibility for, and did not shy away from, the decision taken on February 17 and 18 regarding the stationing of US aircraft in Bulgaria.