Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the two US military tanker aircraft stationed at Bezmer Air Base had flown only to NATO countries as part of exercises and training activities.
Speaking at a news conference in Sofia on Monday, Radev said the aircraft had not made a single flight south. He said the aircraft, which left Bezmer Air Base on Friday, had flown to NATO countries north and west of Bulgaria.
The aircraft's return and the security question
Radev made the remarks in response to questions about whether the aircraft would return to Bulgaria and whether the country faced a security threat.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei had said there was no reason for countries to fear possible Iranian actions as long as they did not allow their bases, facilities or equipment to be used for the “illegal activities of aggressors.”
Radev said the statement had been taken into consideration and expressed the view that Bulgaria was not under threat.
Parliamentary approval for the deployment
On July 22, the Bulgarian parliament authorized the deployment in the country of up to eight US KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft, their crews and up to 250 US military personnel carrying personal weapons and ammunition.
The authorization also covers the presence of support equipment at Bezmer Air Base. The deployment was planned to continue from July 24 to October 1 and support US operations in the Middle East.