HELPING HAND: KC-10 Extenders from the US Air Force's 305th/514th
Air Mobility Wing, deployed at Bourgas airport and nearby Camp
Sarafovo to support tanker operations.
Air Mobility Wing, deployed at Bourgas airport and nearby Camp
Sarafovo to support tanker operations.
ONE aspect of Bulgaria's accession to NATO has received wide media coverage and lately provoked much public debate: the establishment of NATO military bases in the country.
Bulgaria is firmly on the road to NATO accession. The invitation for NATO membership, which this country received at the Prague summit in November last year, has been a historical milestone in Bulgaria's integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.
While there is a long way to go, much has already been achieved. The broad national consensus and hard work to reform Bulgaria's armed forces, as well as Bulgaria's support for the US "War on Terror" has all contributed to this country's progress to the alliance.
Surveys of possible sites have already started, Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov said two weeks ago. Foreign Minister Solomon Passi has named several possible locations. On the eve of municipal elections, many mayors were asking that their municipalities be entered on the list of candidates for NATO bases, Passi said.
Among the most probable regions Passi said in which NATO bases could be established were the town of Pleven, the coastal cities of Burgas and Varna, Plovdiv and the Rhodope mountain region in southern Bulgaria.
With plans seemingly well-developed, Bulgarians are asking who will be actually in charge of taking the decision to allow NATO bases into the country.
Earlier this month, the former chief of staff of the Bulgarian army and current security advisor to President Georgi Purvanov, General Miho Mihov said the debate should be taken to the President's Consultative Council on National Security.
Mihov said that Bulgaria needs a well-defined standpoint on the issue before any further developments are permitted .
"This should be hammered out by the President, not the Cabinet, because, you see, NATO officials may say one day, 'well, you have a new government, we do not approve of it,' or, vice versa, Bulgaria might say 'we do not want your bases here'," Mihov said.
Former deputy defence minister Velizar Shalamanov, currently strategic studies advisor to the director of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Chairman of the George Marshall Association-Bulgaria told The Sofia Echo: "The truth is, this debate has been going on for some time now in Bulgaria. This country has a very well-outlined security sector and decision-taking departments. These are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of Defence, of the Interior, the Security Council of the Prime Minister, the parliamentary committee on foreign policy, defence and security, and only then comes the Consultative Council on National Security.
"It makes sense to convene the council only after all of the above-mentioned bodies have voiced their opinion. So far, what we have are unofficial statements by Svinarov and Passi, but in fact there is no official position on the behalf of the President and the Cabinet in the person of Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg. This is why, I would like to think that the statement by General Mihov should be interpreted as a signal that it is high time all institutions defined their position, which should be only then brought to the President's Consultative Council.
"A consolidated position on this issue will help Bulgaria take the best decision on its national security policy and, to some extent, it may also influence the decisions taken by NATO. We should not let other people take decisions on our part. This contradicts a pro-active security policy clearly defining national interests and taking steps to protect them."
He said that what made the issue even more pressing was that the Bulgarian military had already been sent to Afghanistan and Iraq and the country had for a long time participated in peace-keeping missions in the Western Balkans.
"The successful maintenance of Bulgaria's participation depends on upgraded logistics, which will be very well provided for if there are NATO bases in Bulgaria to join in with the preparation of Bulgarian troops."
Bulgarians are very sensitive about the establishment of foreign military bases in Bulgaria because of concerns it could mean terrorist strikes against the country.
"Let's not forget, however, that there are huge bases in the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain and so far they have not been targeted by terrorists," Shalamanov said. Much more vulnerable to attacks would be civilian transport and communication hubs, gas infrastructure and pipelines.
"Terrorists are very well aware that if they strike a military base, they will be struck back against. What is more, you see, investments in security account for security of investments in the economy. We cannot rely on serious infrastructure investments without making sure these will be well protected.
"The issue whether or not to host NATO bases is a matter of integration and it has not just purely military dimensions. The initial dislocation of military structures will open doors for research, educational and economic partnerships with NATO and the EU."
Another issue is whether Bulgaria's Euro-Atlantic course will in any way cast a shadow on Bulgarian-Russian relations. The prevailing public expectation is that there will be problems.
The Russian embassy in Bulgaria said that so far no concrete decisions on the establishment of military bases had been taken either by NATO, or Bulgaria. As such, a spokesperson for the embassy said there was no point in making undertaking exhaustive comments before any political and military parameters were set or any other decisions made.
Debates on this issue, however, have to take into consideration a well-defined international legal framework. NATO has alreadycommitted to refrain from the permanent location of any additional armed forces on the territory of newly accepted member states of the alliance.
It seems that everything is now in the hands of those institutions democratically elected to work in Bulgaria's national interests.
Civil society has so far played an important role in provoking the debate on the establishment of NATO military bases in Bulgaria. Several think-tanks working in the defence and security sector have already started to pave the way for the formulation of an integrated national policy.
All that remains is to follow the ground-breakers.
Bulgaria is firmly on the road to NATO accession. The invitation for NATO membership, which this country received at the Prague summit in November last year, has been a historical milestone in Bulgaria's integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.
While there is a long way to go, much has already been achieved. The broad national consensus and hard work to reform Bulgaria's armed forces, as well as Bulgaria's support for the US "War on Terror" has all contributed to this country's progress to the alliance.
Surveys of possible sites have already started, Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov said two weeks ago. Foreign Minister Solomon Passi has named several possible locations. On the eve of municipal elections, many mayors were asking that their municipalities be entered on the list of candidates for NATO bases, Passi said.
Among the most probable regions Passi said in which NATO bases could be established were the town of Pleven, the coastal cities of Burgas and Varna, Plovdiv and the Rhodope mountain region in southern Bulgaria.
With plans seemingly well-developed, Bulgarians are asking who will be actually in charge of taking the decision to allow NATO bases into the country.
Earlier this month, the former chief of staff of the Bulgarian army and current security advisor to President Georgi Purvanov, General Miho Mihov said the debate should be taken to the President's Consultative Council on National Security.
Mihov said that Bulgaria needs a well-defined standpoint on the issue before any further developments are permitted .
"This should be hammered out by the President, not the Cabinet, because, you see, NATO officials may say one day, 'well, you have a new government, we do not approve of it,' or, vice versa, Bulgaria might say 'we do not want your bases here'," Mihov said.
Former deputy defence minister Velizar Shalamanov, currently strategic studies advisor to the director of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Chairman of the George Marshall Association-Bulgaria told The Sofia Echo: "The truth is, this debate has been going on for some time now in Bulgaria. This country has a very well-outlined security sector and decision-taking departments. These are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of Defence, of the Interior, the Security Council of the Prime Minister, the parliamentary committee on foreign policy, defence and security, and only then comes the Consultative Council on National Security.
"It makes sense to convene the council only after all of the above-mentioned bodies have voiced their opinion. So far, what we have are unofficial statements by Svinarov and Passi, but in fact there is no official position on the behalf of the President and the Cabinet in the person of Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg. This is why, I would like to think that the statement by General Mihov should be interpreted as a signal that it is high time all institutions defined their position, which should be only then brought to the President's Consultative Council.
"A consolidated position on this issue will help Bulgaria take the best decision on its national security policy and, to some extent, it may also influence the decisions taken by NATO. We should not let other people take decisions on our part. This contradicts a pro-active security policy clearly defining national interests and taking steps to protect them."
He said that what made the issue even more pressing was that the Bulgarian military had already been sent to Afghanistan and Iraq and the country had for a long time participated in peace-keeping missions in the Western Balkans.
"The successful maintenance of Bulgaria's participation depends on upgraded logistics, which will be very well provided for if there are NATO bases in Bulgaria to join in with the preparation of Bulgarian troops."
Bulgarians are very sensitive about the establishment of foreign military bases in Bulgaria because of concerns it could mean terrorist strikes against the country.
"Let's not forget, however, that there are huge bases in the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain and so far they have not been targeted by terrorists," Shalamanov said. Much more vulnerable to attacks would be civilian transport and communication hubs, gas infrastructure and pipelines.
"Terrorists are very well aware that if they strike a military base, they will be struck back against. What is more, you see, investments in security account for security of investments in the economy. We cannot rely on serious infrastructure investments without making sure these will be well protected.
"The issue whether or not to host NATO bases is a matter of integration and it has not just purely military dimensions. The initial dislocation of military structures will open doors for research, educational and economic partnerships with NATO and the EU."
Another issue is whether Bulgaria's Euro-Atlantic course will in any way cast a shadow on Bulgarian-Russian relations. The prevailing public expectation is that there will be problems.
The Russian embassy in Bulgaria said that so far no concrete decisions on the establishment of military bases had been taken either by NATO, or Bulgaria. As such, a spokesperson for the embassy said there was no point in making undertaking exhaustive comments before any political and military parameters were set or any other decisions made.
Debates on this issue, however, have to take into consideration a well-defined international legal framework. NATO has alreadycommitted to refrain from the permanent location of any additional armed forces on the territory of newly accepted member states of the alliance.
It seems that everything is now in the hands of those institutions democratically elected to work in Bulgaria's national interests.
Civil society has so far played an important role in provoking the debate on the establishment of NATO military bases in Bulgaria. Several think-tanks working in the defence and security sector have already started to pave the way for the formulation of an integrated national policy.
All that remains is to follow the ground-breakers.
