Defence Minister: Compensation Bulgaria gets for military aid to Ukraine could exceed 600M leva

The amount that Bulgaria receives in compensation for the military aid it supplies to Ukraine could exceed 600 million leva, Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov told reporters ahead of a February 5 hearing by Parliament’s defence committee.

Earlier on February 5, it was announced that Denmark had transferred 348 million leva to the Bulgarian Defence Ministry at the end of January this year as compensation for the materials that the Bulgarian military provided to Ukraine.

The announcement was made at a briefing by Zapryanov, also attended by Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov, Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova and Defence Chief Admiral Emil Eftimov.

Petkova said that the receipt of the 348 million leva resulted in an improvement in the budget balance both at state budget level and at the consolidated fiscal program level.

Zapryanov told reporters: “By helping Ukraine, we are actually helping ourselves.

“During my term of office for the packages that we sent last year, we received 348 million leva in the ministry’s account at the end of this month,” he said.

“If we add the money that the US allocates for compensation, because we have such money and with it we purchase equipment from the US, if we add the request for reimbursement from the European Commission under the European Peace Facility of 57 million euro, we will receive more compensation through the aid to Ukraine through the US and the EC in total,” Zapryanov said, adding that this could exceed 600 million leva.

Zapryanov said that the increases in military pay had resulted in an increase of three to five times of those wanting to join the military.

He told the parliamentary committee on defence that “not everything was flowers and roses” regarding Bulgaria’s acquisition of the F-16 fighter jets, because there were still delays in infrastructure projects essential to receiving and housing the aircraft, though the ministry was “doing its best to catch up”.

The first Bulgarian Air Force F-16 was ceremonially handed over this past weekend, though the first F-16s are due to arrive in Bulgaria in March or April.

“We are managing to catch up, I think we will have no obstacle in April to accept the aircraft,” Zapryanov replied to a question about the readiness of the Graf Ignatievo airbase.

“However, some projects are delayed. The building for the simulators, which are ready and waiting for storage in the US, is being delayed. The contract for the building is from 2020, we have assurance that it will be completed by the end of July,” he said.

Zapryanov told the committee: “I am insisting, if the economic capabilities of the state allow, that Bulgaria allocate 2.5 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product for defence spending”.

“”We finished last year on the verge of 2%,” he said, adding “at two per cent we cannot expect accelerated modernization. It should not fall below two per cent”.

(Photo of Zapryanov: Defence Ministry)

Please support The Sofia Globe’s independent journalism by becoming a subscriber to our page on Patreon:

Become a Patron!

The Sofia Globe staff

The Sofia Globe - the Sofia-based fully independent English-language news and features website, covering Bulgaria, the Balkans and the EU. Sign up to subscribe to sofiaglobe.com's daily bulletin through the form on our homepage. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32709292