"The Bulgarian army is currently 5,600 soldiers short. One of the reasons is the low starting salary of 608 Leva a month," said Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov. In his words the most serious problem is that around 30-40 percent of the people applying for professional soldiers are unfit for reasons of health or education.
He added that before a conscription army can be reinstated, for which he says he will be supported by GERB party, the number of military education classes at school must be increased and voluntary service introduced.
Karakachanov says further that the EU is not ready to set up a single defence structure, an idea Bulgaria supports:
"Bulgaria is in favour of the formation of such a defence structure but that is a process. Seeing as we have NATO, this compatibility must be looked into, how a European defence will fit into the picture. There are European countries which are not members of NATO. There are European countries which are more skeptical, others are more enthusiastic like France and Germany."
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) will not participate in talks with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) for the second cabinet-forming mandate, the party's press centre said. The position of BSP is addressed to the chairman of the..
The Chairman of the GERB-SDS Parliamentary group, Boyko Borissov, sent an official refusal to the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and confirmed the coalition's position that they will not participate in negotiations to form a government with..
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) is against the attempts of the anti-European and pro-Russian parties to play with the topic of "referendum for the euro". In a position published by the press center of the DPS, the chairman..
The largest archaeological campaign ever conducted on Perperikon has begun, BTA reports. Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, head of the research at..
After 17 MPs from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, MRF, were expelled, among them the party’s other co-chair Dzevdet Chakarov, MRF MP Ahmed..
Greece’s Minister of Defence Nikos Dendias announced that Greece, Bulgaria and Romania are to establish a military mobility corridor in NATO’s Eastern..
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