Bulgarian Government Does Not See Russia as A Threat to Its National Security

Russia does not appear as a threat to the security of the European Union and Bulgaria any more – it became clear from the 2017 draft annual report on the national security. This document was adopted by the Government of Bulgaria at its last meeting on Wednesday and should be approved by the Parliament. Although the previous 2016 report said that Russia’s actions were a source of regional instability and threatened Bulgaria’s main goal – a united, free and peaceful Europe – the current report does not have such assessment. It is noteworthy that the tone in the report is much more moderate and the name “Russia” is not mentioned directly when it comes to the “imbalance of forces in the Black Sea” and the crisis in Ukraine. According to the authors of the report, there are negative changes in the “geostrategic security environment in the immediate vicinity of our territory”, and there is a “disturbed balance of powers” in the Black Sea, but it does not cite the source of the threat. It made only passing mention of Russia: “Negative changes in the geostrategic security environment in the immediate vicinity of the country and the disrupted the balance of powers in the Black Sea as a result of the crisis in Ukraine and the militarization of the Crimea led to the fact that training of staffs and formations was focused on tasks of the “Defense” mission. The authors of the report also note that there is a “crisis of confidence in the relations” of Bulgaria, the EU, the U.S. and Russia. It’s becoming clear that the deteriorating relationship of the Russian Federation with NATO and the EU no longer threatens European security. There is no longer any evidence of a growing threat in terms of rearmament of the Russian army, the Russia’s dominance in the Black Sea, including the country’s extended outlet to energy reserves, which in 2016 was reported as a “permanent disruption of the geostrategic and military balance in the Black Sea region”. The report also says that secret services of foreign countries, which have an enduring interest in the region of Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea region, continue to be active. These services work against the interests of Bulgaria and are supported by the political leaderships of the countries concerned. National offices reported about “increasing intensity” in applying hybrid approaches. Source: offnews.bg