Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov: There is no direct military threat to Bulgaria

There is no direct military threat to the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, according to data from the security services and the Ministry of Defense, caretaker Premier Andrey Gyurov said after the emergency meeting of the Security Council under the Council of Ministers held today in connection with the “dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East and the large-scale strikes carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran.”

The Bulgarian government is monitoring the situation in real time, Premier Gyurov said, assuring that Bulgaria is not a party to the conflict: “I want to state categorically that our country is not participating and is not part of the military operation”, said Premier Guyrov. No request has been made for the use of Bulgarian territory for military operations, and there is no change in the level of combat readiness of our armed forces, caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Guyrov noted.

Regarding public safety, Andrey Guorov was categorical that “at the moment there are no risks whatsoever to the life, health, and peace of citizens.”

Preventive measures have been taken, and our diplomatic missions are in constant contact with Bulgarian communities abroad. “We call on our compatriots in Iran and neighboring countries to follow the instructions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, Premier Guyrov added, noting that a 24-hour Crisis headquarters is already operating at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Concrete evacuation plans have been discussed should the situation require it. Potential economic consequences and the risk of migration pressure are also being analyzed.

Bulgaria’s caretaker Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov also ruled out the possibility of a potential threat. “We cannot be a military target for Iran. Since we are not participating in this operation, we believe we cannot be targeted as a military objective”, said Minister Zapryanov. In his words, border services are on heightened alert, and institutions are working in full coordination.

At present, there are 11,400 Bulgarian citizens in the conflict zone who are subject to evacuation, caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Nadezhda Neynsky said.

“We are in contact with all allies and with all our embassies and diplomatic representations”, Nadezhda Neynsky stated.

It is of particular importance at this time to establish contact with citizens who are temporarily staying in the region and with tourists. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is calling on these individuals to contact Bulgarian representations so they can be identified. “We are prepared to evacuate members of the diplomatic missions and their families, and we have an updated evacuation plan for people who are subject to evacuation”, Minister Neynsky added after the three-hour meeting of the Security Council.

Representatives of the political parties in the 51st National Assembly were not invited to today’s Security Council meeting, and only the permanent members attended the meeting. This prompted dissatisfaction from the leader of the party “Vazrazhdane,” Kostadin Kostadinov, who called on President Iliana Iotova to convene the Consultative Council on National Security.

Edited by Elena Karkalanova

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov