Bulgaria willing to be involved in missile shield

Bulgaria wants to participate in the European missile shield, and it is in its interests to do so, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Speaking in an interview with Dnevnik published on April 15 2010, Foreign Minister Nikolai Mladenov said that Bulgaria, along with neighbours Greece, Turkey and Romania were within the range of Iranian missiles.

Mladenov said that Bulgaria should take an active part in discussions at the forthcoming meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Tallin, Estonia, on April 22 and 23 and in preparations for the Nato summit to be held in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon towards the end of 2010, with a view to the missile shield being part of the strategic defence system.

Speaking at a news conference on April 13, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vessela Tcherneva said that when the parameters of the missile defence shield became clear, Bulgaria would ask to be part of the system.

The precise shape of this participation would depend on the deployment of the system and what elements could be on Bulgarian territory.

Bulgaria keenly supported the building up of a European system for security and defence, she said.