Minister: U.S. tanker aircraft don't make Bulgaria a target

Bulgaria does not become a military target by allowing U.S. aerial refuelling aircraft to be stationed at Bezmer Air Base, Transport Minister Georgi Peev said in an interview with Bulgarian National Television (BNT).

Peev said the deployment was carried out under the 2006 defence cooperation agreement between Bulgaria and the United States. He added that Bezmer Air Base had been designated for joint use under the agreement and that the government had moved the aircraft from Sofia Airport to address operational, safety and public concerns.

"It is not normal for military tanker aircraft to be stationed at Sofia's Vasil Levski Airport," Peev said. He added that relocating them from the capital's civilian airport had also eased public anxiety.

Editor: Ivo Ivanov