At this stage Bulgaria would refrain from taking part in missions in the provinces of Afghanistan, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said.

These missions required “more serious financial engagement and efforts of civilian experts” and Bulgaria was not prepared for them, he said as quoted by Bulgarian news agency BTA.

Bulgaria could not take up such mission, especially in Southern Afghanistan, Stanishev said.

At the same time it was natural for Bulgaria to continue its participation in NATO’s ISAF mission.

The PM said that Bulgaria’s priorities were security and stability on the Balkans. The country was interested in the former USSR, Near and Far East and its relations with the US and Russia.

A new national security strategy was to be discussed, Stanishev said.