Bulgaria to allow Ukraine to use its skies for F-16 training

The ruling majority in the Bulgarian parliament has agreed to provide Ukraine with Bulgarian airspace for F-16 aircraft training, according to a draft decision proposed by the leaders of the three formations supporting the government.

One of the eight points in a draft decision proposed by the leaders of the three formations supporting the government – the coalition PP-DB, GERB and DPS – includes: “The government should make sure that Bulgaria joins and contributes according to its capabilities to the coalition of countries to build the capabilities of the Air Force of Ukraine to use F-16 aircraft, including to conduct joint exercises and to use the country’s airspace.”

Their support means that the draft decision will go without any problems, despite the expected resistance from the pro-Russian Bulgarian Socialist Party and Vazrazhdane, who recently even demanded a vote of no confidence in Nikolai Denkov’s government.

Their reasoning also included the government’s position on sending military aid to Ukraine.

Another proposal in the draft decision is for the Council of Ministers to hold negotiations with the governments of NATO allies for the deployment of allied anti-aircraft and coastal anti-ship missile systems to strengthen Bulgaria’s defence capabilities.

The decision also stipulates that Bulgaria will provide Ukraine with “defective, out-of-order or supernumerary portable anti-aircraft missile systems and anti-aircraft missiles of different types”.

The draft decision makes the government request compensation for these costs from the European Instrument for Peace, as well as from other funds.

It is also proposed to allow up to four infantry or mechanised companies of the Ukrainian army of up to 160 soldiers to reside on Bulgarian territory per year to undergo combat training.

(Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)

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