site.btaVazrazhdane Leader Says No Grounds for Bulgaria to Be Considered Target Over Iran Tensions

Interviewed on the Bulgarian National Television on Sunday, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said there are no grounds for Bulgaria to be viewed as a target in connection with Middle East conflict after the Iranian Embassy in Sofia stated that the country is not a target.

He also said the war could continue for a long time and any change of government in Iran would not be easily achieved, given the country's large population and strong mobilization around its religious leadership.

Kostadinov warned of possible problems with fuel supplies, arguing that the most logical solution for Bulgaria would be to resume Russian oil imports, which, in his view, would lead to lower fuel and energy prices.

Regarding the presence of US aircraft at Sofia Airport, he said the government had misled the public by claims the aircraft were involved in exercises, and argued that they were taking part in military operations against Iran. Kostadinov described the use of a civilian airport for such purposes as unprecedented, adding that military aircraft must be stationed at military airbases.

He also said Bulgaria's NATO membership does not automatically require participation in operations undertaken unilaterally by individual member states. NATO is a defensive alliance and Bulgaria should not allow its territory to be used for military actions unrelated to collective defence, the Vazrazhdane leader said.

Kostadinov commented on a recent proposal by Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) for this country to join a French initiative for an expanded nuclear umbrella, saying that the idea had no practical value and was a domestic policy move by French President Emmanuel Macron.