Bulgaria’s Parliament ratifies deal on APCs for Ukraine
Bulgaria’s Parliament voted on November 22 to ratify an agreement between Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry and Ukraine’s Defence Ministry on Bulgaria supplying old armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine.
Ratification was supported by GERB-UDF, We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and ITN, while pro-Kremlin Vuzrazhdane and the Bulgarian Socialist Party against.
The vote was 152 in favour and 57 against, with no abstentions.
The agreement between the ministries follows the Bulgarian Parliament’s approval in July 2023 of the provision of additional military-technical support to Ukraine.
The agreement provides for Bulgaria to supply the armoured personnel carriers and available armament, as well as spare parts, all surplus to the requirements of the Interior Ministry. The vehicles were acquired decades ago by the communist regime of the time.
Vuzrazhdane claimed that by providing the armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine, Bulgaria was giving Ukraine “a billion leva” and the party said that the vehicles should be used for protecting Bulgaria’s border.
WCC-DB MP Ivailo Mirchev said that a lot of lies had been told during the debate by those opposed to ratification, and said that the equipment, which is 40 years told, is hardly worth a billion leva.
MRF MP Dzheyhan Ibryamov said that all sorts of statements had been heard from the speaker’s rostrum, but nothing of substance.
“There is no reason for political hysteria, but apparently this is part of the role of some MPs in this National Assembly,” Ibryamov said, adding that the equipment was surplus to requirements and there was no need to artificially stoke fear among Bulgarian society.
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