Angel Naydenov

Bulgaria's Defense Minister Angel Naydenov announced it would take days to complete a border fence being built at the border with Turkey.

"We are days away from having constructed this installation which is important to the Bulgarian Army and necessary for Bulgaria's security," Focus News Agency quoted Naydenov as saying.

Vice-Admiral Rumen Nikolov has become Chief of Defense of the Bulgarian Army on Monday after taking the office from Gen Simeon Simeonov.

At a ceremony Nikolov, who was previously Commander of the Navy, assumed the position of Chief of Defense after his predecessor's term has expired.

Defense Minister Angel Naydenov attended the event which was held at 11:00 EEST (09:00 GMT).

Economy Minister Dragomir Stoynev, Defense Minister Angel Naydenov and Parliament Speaker Mihail Mikov have the same chance to head the main ruling party, media reports suggest.

A decision at the Defense Ministry could prompt the alliance to refuse accreditation for a NATO structure in the country, reports by a Bulgarian media outlet reveal.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev shall convene an extraordinary meeting of the Consultative Council on National Security (KSNS) on Tuesday.

The meeting will focus on the current political situation in the country and is to identify measures to end the political crisis.

Defense Minister Angel Naydenov has said that the socialists will not set a date for the snap elections during Tuesday's sitting of the Consultative Council on National Security.

Naydenov, Spokesperson for the Bulgarian Socialist Party, announced the plans of the ruling party after a Monday sitting of the Executive Bureau of BSP.

Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev is expected to propose 4 possible dates for early parliamentary elections during Tuesday's Consultative Council for National Security.

The dates which Plevneliev will propose to the leaders of the political parties will most likely be the Sundays from September 21 to October 12, Standartnews reveals.

Bulgaria will send its 27th and last military contingent to Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), on June 10.

The official ceremony will take place in the city of Kazanlak and will be attended by the Defense Minister Angel Naydenov, Chief of Defense General Simeon Simeonov and the Permanent Undersecretary of Defense Dobromir Totev.

Bulgarian Defense Minister Angel Naydenov has drawn attention to the worsening condition of military holding TEREM, stressing that it keeps generating losses.

Speakling Friday in Parliament, Naydenov said that the situation was critical at a number of companies within the holding.

Politicians from ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and opposition GERB MPs led a day-long discussion over whether Bulgaria should acquire new fighter jets.

Boyko Borisov, who heads the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), underscored that new fighters would carry additional costs and would require between BGN 600 and 700 M (EUR 300-350 M).