site.btaGreece Will Aid Bulgaria's Air Defence with Patriot Battery and F-16s

Greece will provide support to Bulgaria with air defence assets and personnel, which will be deployed in northern Greece and will cover a large part of the Bulgarian territory, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said Friday, as quoted by the ANA-MPA news agency.

He specified that he had spoken with his Bulgarian counterpart Atanas Zapryanov and that the support would be provided following a request from the Bulgarian side submitted Thursday. On Thursday, Defence Minister Zapryanov said he was due to hold talks later in the day with Greece’s defence minister, while earlier in the morning he had discussed the situation in the Middle East with his Turkish counterpart.

Dendias said that, by decision of Greece’s Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence, a Greek Patriot battery will be deployed in a suitable area in northern Greece in the coming hours. It will provide missile defense coverage for a large part of Bulgaria’s territory.

In addition, a pair of F-16 fighter jets will be deployed at an air base in northern Greece with the sole task of providing additional protection for Bulgaria.

Two senior Greek Air Force officers will also be seconded to Sofia to coordinate with the Bulgarian military command.

The Greek Defence Minister announced that he will visit Sofia next week at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart.

Dendias was adamant that providing air defense support to fellow NATO and EU member Bulgaria will in no way affect Greece’s own missile defense capabilities.