Bulgaria’s caretaker Defence Minister: Iran’s launch of a missile against Türkiye a dangerous escalation

Iran’s launch of a missile against Türkiye is a dangerous escalation, Bulgaria’s caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said on March 4.

“This attack was not provoked in any way, similar to the attack that was carried out against Cyprus, it shows that the Iranian regime does not take into account who participates and who does not participate in the military operation, especially the launch of a missile against a Nato member state is a dangerous escalation,” Zapryanov said.

The missile incident in Türkiye came on the fifth day after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, which has responded with attacks not only on Israel but also several countries in the Middle Eastern region.

In an official statement, a spokesperson for the Turkish government said on March 4 that a missile launched from Iran, which transited the airspace of Iraq and Syria and then headed toward Turkish airspace from the Hatay region, was neutralised by Nato air defence systems.

A fragment of an interceptor missile fell into an open area in Dörtyol, Hatay; no loss of life or injuries had been reported, the spokesperson said.

Zapryanov said that on the afternoon of March 4, he had attending a meeting at Defence Headquarters with commanders and a representative of Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry.

“We assessed the risks and degree of readiness of our forces, together with the Allied ones, to deal with the danger,” Zapryanov said.

He said that a report is being compiled that will be presented to the caretaker Prime Minister at a meeting of the government security council that the PM will convene.

“At this meeting, we will make specific proposals aimed at guaranteeing peace and protecting our territory,” Zapryanov said.

The date of this meeting had not been announced as of the afternoon of March 4, and it would be the second convened since the new war in the Middle East began.

Zapryanov said that Nato had said a few days ago that the Alliance’s missile defence is ready to repel any attack on Alliance territory, and this is what had happened.

“The Alliance will not bend, planned events will continue to take place, Nato training is being conducted throughout the Alliance’s territory,” he said.

“Iran will not scare us into stopping the work of strengthening the Alliance’s defence capabilities, of strengthening the forward presence on the Eastern flank. The Alliance is the only and most secure guarantor for the protection of our territory, Zapryanov said.

In a statement on March 4, the Yes Bulgaria party – part of the We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria coalition – said that Bulgaria and Romania should request Nato Article 4 consultations.

In Parliament, several parliamentary groups have called on head of state President Iliana Yotova to convene a meeting of the Consultative Council on National Security, which involves a number of Cabinet members, defence, security and intelligence chiefs and representatives of parliamentary groups.

On March 2, after meeting the caretaker Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence, the heads of the State Intelligence Agency, the Military Intelligence Service, and the State Agency for National Security, Yotova said that there was no threat to Bulgaria’s national security in connection with the conflict in the Middle East and currently no need to convene the Consultative Council on National Security.

(Photo of Zapryanov: Ministry of Defence)