Bulgaria is one of those countries of the former social camp, which sufficiently felt the foreign policy pressure of the Soviet Union. Since 2004 — a member of NATO, since 2007 — a member of the EU. This South Slavic country knows very well what the European and Euro-Atlantic integration path should be.
The Republic of Bulgaria actively supports Ukraine on this path, and of course, to the extent possible, supports militarily in the fight against the aggressor. The Ukrainian Review spoke with Todor Tagarev, the Minister of Defense of this country, about further prospects for cooperation between Ukraine and Bulgaria.
Bulgarian political and military support Ukraine
Mr. Minister, will Bulgaria support Ukraine’s accession to NATO under an accelerated procedure?
In the context of Russian aggression, we see ourselves as an important player and as a country that pays attention to the security situation that shook on February 24, 2022. We stand side by side with Ukraine and help repel this aggression. As for NATO. We fully support Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration. At the recent summit in Vilnius, the cornerstone of our further cooperation was laid.
However, I would like to hear your position specifically regarding the accelerated procedure.
Yes, in the process of preparing for the Vilnius summit, Bulgaria supported exactly this position. Of course, as far as the circumstances allowed, because this requires the end of hostilities. As soon as this is completed, Ukraine should have a clear and quick alliance with NATO. But you know that the NATO system works in such a way that full consensus is needed, which is why we supported the final text of the Vilnius summit on Ukraine and the action plan. I mean that we have gone from several steps to one step on the path of Ukraine’s accession to NATO.
Demining territories: collaboration that takes time
One of the main challenges after the end of the war will be demining the waters of the Black Sea. Ukraine and Bulgaria, as well as Romania and Turkey, are jointly working out algorithms for actions in this direction, but so far there are not many specifics
At what stage is the implementation of the demining program now?
Demining is a long-term task of the Bulgarian naval forces within the territorial waters of the Republic of Bulgaria. We are currently discussing [with Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov — ed.] the strengthening of cooperation between the states and how, after the end of the war, we will record that the main routes of sea communication are clear of mines and are completely safe.
Todor Tagarev also answered a number of questions from Ukrainian and foreign media during his visit to Odesa. We have selected the most interesting things that were heard during the briefing at the Ukraine Media Center.
Bulgaria has a lot of Soviet-time armored vehicles. When can we see it in Ukraine?
We offered about 100 units of Soviet-time armored vehicles, which are still in the warehouses of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This somewhat slows down our process, because we need to sign a contract between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. This agreement must also be ratified by the parliament. As soon as the parliament returns to its sessions in September, this will be one of the priority tasks. I think that by the end of September, at most – the beginning of October, we will already have a ratified agreement. Then the transmission will start.
On August 18 [2023], you mentioned that the confrontation between NATO and Russia, and the escalation in the Black Sea region is dangerous. What actions has your country taken to ensure security in the region?
From that interview, a thesis emerged, which was not the main one, but in any case, the leadership of our defense departments and armed forces simulated various scenarios of the development of the situation. Considering the Russian factor, we consider even the most difficult scenarios and prepare for the most difficult ones. At the same time, it is necessary not to contribute to the escalation of the situation. In this aspect, we are working with our NATO allies.
Questions about information warfare. We know that the Russian Federation is very fierce in promoting its Kremlin narratives in Bulgaria. This is of great importance from a defensive point of view. What are your actions and plans regarding this problem?
This is a difficult question. I wouldn’t say that we have a fully developed concept. We understand the problem, we have the support of some of our allies, and we are building our strategic communication capabilities. We cooperate with our allies to minimize the influence of Russian propaganda, which, unfortunately, still works in our country. As the Minister of Defense, I take measures in the area that is within my competence, and we work against disinformation, but it should be a government-wide and public-wide approach. We are working on it.
The article was prepared by Kostyantyn Grechany
Editor`s note. On September 3, 2023 it became known that the President of Ukraine replaced the Minister of Defense of Ukraine. The president nominated Rustem Umerov, the former people’s deputy of Ukraine, to become the new defense minister.
