Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 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

Ivelin Mihaylov

Velichie party threatens to organize huge resistance against election results

“We do not have an answer, as yet, from any political party, to the proposal for a cordon sanitaire around the Movement for Rights and Freedoms-New Beginning in the 51 st National Assembly,” said Kiril Petkov, co-chair of We Continue the Change in..

published on 10/30/24 11:02 AM

Inflation has led to higher turnover and a demand for new 100 and 50-Leva bills

During the first 9 months of 2024, the Bulgarian National Bank has put an additional 11 million 100-Leva banknotes into circulation in the country. At the beginning of the year, there were more than 131 million 100-Leva bills in circulation..

published on 10/30/24 8:49 AM

History Museum in Razgrad offers free guided tour of the ancient Abrittus

On 30 October, the Regional Museum of History in Razgrad is organizing free guided tours around the Abrittus archaeological reserve to mark the end of the tourist season. Throughout the day the public will be given a guided tour of the ancient..

published on 10/30/24 6:05 AM