Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Monday that two US military tanker aircraft stationed at Bezmer Air Base had conducted flights only to NATO member countries for training and military exercises.
Radev stated that the aircraft had not made any flights toward the south, emphasizing that their operations were limited to NATO countries located north and west of Bulgaria. He made the comments during a news conference in Sofia.
The Bulgarian leader was responding to questions about the aircraft, which left Bezmer Air Base on Friday, and whether they would return. He was also asked about Bulgaria’s security situation following warnings from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei.
Baghaei had warned that countries should not be concerned about possible Iranian action unless they allowed their military bases, facilities or equipment to be used by foreign forces for what Iran considers illegal activities.
Radev said Bulgarian authorities were aware of the situation and had taken the relevant concerns into consideration. He added that he did not believe Bulgaria was currently facing a threat.
On July 22, Bulgaria’s parliament approved the deployment of up to eight US KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft, along with their crews, up to 250 US military personnel equipped with weapons and ammunition, and other necessary airfield equipment.
The deployment was authorized for the period from July 24 to October 1 and is intended to support US military operations in the Middle East, with the aircraft operating from Bulgaria’s Bezmer Air Base.
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