site.btaDemocratic Bulgaria Submits to Parliament Draft Resolution on Providing Bulgarian Military Aid to Ukraine

The Democratic Bulgaria (DB) parliamentary group submitted a draft resolution to the National Assembly to mandate the Council of Ministers to provide military aid to Ukraine, the DB press office said here on Friday. Earlier in the day, the draft resolution was discussed at an expert panel on defence within the ruling coalition but no details were provided for the press by the participants.

Defence Minister Dragomir Zakov, who was at the meeting, told reporters that the expert panel discussed the options for increasing the defence budget and the armed forces modernization, and that the draft resolution for military and technical aid for Ukraine "was not discussed in detail". He said that it is a matter for the coalition partners to discuss. "At this stage we have not identified what we can provide. It is not our task at the moment," he added.

According to the draft resolution, the military-technical support must match Ukraine’s needs and Bulgaria’s capabilities. It will be funded by the State budget, and the EU and NATO special funds for Ukraine.

In the context of the threats for security in the region, the Bulgarian national interest should be defined through this country’s EU and NATO memberships and the relations with its allies, and most them provide military aid to Ukraine, DB argues.

According to the draft resolution, Ukraine’s defensive actions are legitimate and justified by international law and can be effectively supported by providing appropriate armament and equipment, depending on the capacity of the Bulgarian military-industrial complex, without depriving the Bulgarian army of its strategic defensive resources. 

The draft resolution says that Ukraine’s defensive actions are among this country’s basic rights complying with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, considering the fact that aiding the attacked country is not considered a military intervention but supporting restoration of peace.