Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said he has "absolutely no concerns" about the proposed deployment of up to eight US tanker aircraft at the Bezmer airbase, emphasizing that the facility is already designated for joint use under the bilateral defense cooperation agreement between Bulgaria and the United States. Speaking to reporters in parliament ahead of a meeting of the parliamentary Defense Committee, Stoyanov said the facts surrounding the proposal would become clear during the discussions.
The committee convened for an extraordinary session to examine the government's request for parliamentary approval to allow the temporary presence of up to eight US tanker aircraft, as well as up to 250 American military personnel, at Bezmer. During the hearing, Progressive Bulgaria lawmaker Ivan Dimitrov questioned why the matter required a vote in the National Assembly rather than a decision by the Ministry of Defense, and also asked why Bezmer had been selected as the location.
Stoyanov explained that Bulgarian law requires parliamentary authorization for the entry and deployment of allied or foreign military forces on Bulgarian territory. He said the government's proposal followed an assessment of the official US request and security analyses. "There are risks, but there is no direct threat to our national security," the defense minister stated.
