Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 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

The emblematic monument of Hristo Botev in Bulgaria's Vratsa dismantled for restoration

The emblematic monument of Bulgaria's national hero - the poet-revolutionary Hristo Botev in the center of the city of Vratsa has been dismantled for restoration . For this purpose, the nine-meter statue will be transported to a specialized workshop in..

published on 3/14/25 5:38 PM

Provadiya-Solnitsata prehistoric complex nominated for European Heritage Label

The prehistoric complex "Provadiya-Solnitsata" - the oldest salt production and urban centre in Europe (5600 - 4350 BC) - is among the sites nominated for the European Heritage Label 2025. This year, the European Commission received a total of 21..

published on 3/14/25 5:15 PM
EnduroSat CEO Raycho Raychev (centre), Bulgarian Ambassador to the US Georgi Panayotov (right) and a representative of the US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

Bulgarian ambassador and EnduroSat CEO meet U.S. science, space, and technology experts

Bulgarian Ambassador to the United States Georgi Panayotov and Raycho Raychev, founder and CEO of the Bulgarian company EnduroSat , met with experts from the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology. This was announced..

published on 3/14/25 4:45 PM