Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria will not send a warship to Red Sea, says defence minister

Photo: BTA

The war in Ukraine poses a risk to shipping, Defence Minister Todor Tagarev said in Blagoevgrad, quoted by the BGNES news agency. That is why Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey are joining forces to clear mines floating in the Black Sea - to ensure the safety of navigation in our waters. 

Minister Tagarev rejected suggestions that Bulgaria would send a warship to the Red Sea, to rescue the kidnapped Bulgarian sailors. Our task is to free them, but we cannot engage in a military mission without a decision by Parliament. "It is not at all about sending troops somewhere in Yemen, we are involved with staff officers," the minister added. Tagarev said that the first hijacked ship had a Bulgarian captain and first mate. They are still on board and have not been released, he said. 

The defence minister is in Blagoevgrad to congratulate soldiers who took part in the KFOR mission in Kosovo and the EU force in Bosnia and Herzegovina "Altea".

Reuters quoted last week U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as saying that several countries have agreed to jointly carry out patrols in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to try to safeguard commercial shipping against attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Sunny weather and scattered clouds expected on Bulgaria's Unification Day

During the night, the weather will remain mostly clear with scattered high clouds. After midnight, low clouds or fog are expected to form over the far eastern regions. It will be almost calm across most of the country. There will be a light northerly..

published on 9/5/25 6:35 PM
E-Government Minister Valentin Mundrov

Bulgaria to audit government IT systems for euro readiness from October

Bulgaria will begin checks after Oct. 1 to ensure all government IT systems are ready to operate with the euro , e-Government Minister Valentin Mundrov told parliament on Thursday. He said preparations were 97.75% complete. The ministry oversees the..

published on 9/5/25 6:23 PM
Вътрешният министър Даниел Митов

Bulgaria says migrant pressure at Turkish border down more than tenfold

Bulgaria says migrant pressure at Turkish border down more than tenfold Migrant pressure on Bulgaria’s border with Turkey has fallen more than tenfold in the past two years, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov said on Thursday at the opening of a new..

published on 9/5/25 6:13 PM