Bulgarian Defence Ministry

Bulgaria will host and share in a series of multinational military exercises in 2021 so as to enhance its armed forces' operational capabilities, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said in a press release on Monday.

European countries close to Turkey were on the alert on Friday after Ankara said it was opening its borders for migrants and refugees who want to leave the country and cross into Europe.

Since Ankara announced the decision, thousands of mainly Middle Eastern refugees have flocked to cities close to the border with Bulgaria and Greece as well as to ports on the Aegean Sea.

The Bulgarian government has asked parliament for a mandate to negotiate with the United States on buying new fighter jets, Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov said on Wednesday after ministers met in Sofia. 

It means that Bulgaria plans to move ahead with the purchase of Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 Viper jets to replace its aging fleet of Soviet-era Mig-29 planes.

The Atlantic Council of Bulgaria has issued an opinion stating our country should purchase the U.S. F-16 as a new type of fighter for the Bulgarian Air Force, and adding that the government should adhere to the common practice in NATO member states - to acquire the average number of 16 aircraft per squadron, not as planned in two times of 8, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.

According to the Bulgarian Defence Ministry, Bulgaria has received three proposals to supply the country's Air Force with fighter jets.

The proposals came from Sweden, offering new multi-role fighter aircraft, from Portugal, offering second-hand US made F-16s and Italy, with second-hand Eurofighters.

The Bulgarian Defence Ministry has set new technical specifications for its fighter jet tender.

Via the amendments, the purchase of used F-16 fighter jets from Portugal will become the preferred option, stated parliamentary deputies.

An attack targeting Kandahar international airport in Afghanistan on Tuesday evening claimed the lives of at least nineteen people and left at least twenty other injured.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack at the heavily fortified airport, the BBC reports.

Special forces stormed the hotel in Bamako, the capital of Mali, where up to 170 people are believed to be held hostages by suspected Islamists.

The attackers targeted the Radisson Blu Hotel in the centre of the capital, which is popular with expats working in Mali.

The NATO Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre for Excellence (CMDR COE) in Bulgaria was granted official accreditation.

The accreditation, which was granted by the North Atlantic Council, enabled CMDR COE as a NATO military body with international status as stipulated under Article XIV of the Paris Protocol.

A Bulgarian Defence Ministry report, “Outlook 2020: Bulgaria and NATO in European Defence”, published on the ministry website, says the country faces threats of “hybrid wars, energy dependence, Russian propaganda, failed states, terrorism and migration.