PM Borissov Says It Is a Matter of
Calculations to Decide Whether Time Is Right Now to Purchase New Aircraft for
Air Force
25 May 2017 / 11:08
Sofia, May 25 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime
Minister Boyko Borissov commended late on Wednesday that it is a matter of
calculations to see whether the time is right now to purchase new fighter
aircraft for the Bulgarian Air Force or to consider instead the needs of the
Land Forces and the Navy. Borissov was speaking at a ceremony in which TV
Evropa presented him an award for pro-European policy.
Bulgaria has reached an advanced stage in a
procedure for purchase of new fighter aircraft for 1.5 billion leva or more in
what is to become the largest project for modernization of the Bulgarian Armed
Forces. The project funding already has parliamentary approval. Having
considered three offers from potential contractors, a working group concluded
in April that the Swedish-made Gripen is the favourite option, followed by the
offers of the US and Portugal for used F-16 and of Italy for used Eurofighter.
The then caretaker government, however, did not make the expected decision to
propose to Parliament to start talks with Saab and chose to leave it to their
successors in a Parliament-elected government to decide.
Borissov said on Wednesday that a nationally
responsible decision needs to be made about how to spend the available
resources in order to ensure the best effect. "The [Bulgarian] military
aircraft are now flying with refurbished original engines and they can
operational until 2028. We have to see whether it is right to purchase new
aircraft right now or to look at [the needs of] the Land Forces and the
Navy," the Prime Minister said expressing hope that the military experts
will best calculate how the resources should be spent.
Borissov also commented the commitment for
the NATO member states to set aside 2 per cent of their GDP for defence
spending. "To give 2 per cent [for defence], we have to take from
somewhere else. As much as we may be thinking about the Armed Forces, we have
other priorities as well," he said.
Commenting the Manchester Arena bombing
earlier in the week, Borissov called for caution when commenting acts of terrorism
"because terrorists would hit anywhere they can be noticed and they pay
careful attention to what is being said about them". "The comments
should be sparing and the diplomacy very active," he said. He argued that
diplomacy owes mankind a lot. "The world community and diplomacy should
have ended the wars in Syria, Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan long ago," he
said. PK/LN/
//
Source: Sofia
Original post: bta.bg
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