Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria will not send a warship to Red Sea, says defence minister

Photo: BTA

The war in Ukraine poses a risk to shipping, Defence Minister Todor Tagarev said in Blagoevgrad, quoted by the BGNES news agency. That is why Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey are joining forces to clear mines floating in the Black Sea - to ensure the safety of navigation in our waters. 

Minister Tagarev rejected suggestions that Bulgaria would send a warship to the Red Sea, to rescue the kidnapped Bulgarian sailors. Our task is to free them, but we cannot engage in a military mission without a decision by Parliament. "It is not at all about sending troops somewhere in Yemen, we are involved with staff officers," the minister added. Tagarev said that the first hijacked ship had a Bulgarian captain and first mate. They are still on board and have not been released, he said. 

The defence minister is in Blagoevgrad to congratulate soldiers who took part in the KFOR mission in Kosovo and the EU force in Bosnia and Herzegovina "Altea".

Reuters quoted last week U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as saying that several countries have agreed to jointly carry out patrols in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to try to safeguard commercial shipping against attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgarian authorities crack down on illegal citizenship scheme in Sofia

Security agencies in Bulgaria, DANS (State Agency for National Security) and GDBOP (General Directorate Combating Organized Crime), are carrying out an operation in Sofia targeting a group suspected of illegally granting Bulgarian citizenship...

published on 7/2/25 5:56 PM

“If we can import doctors for $500, why not MPs for 500 leva?” — President Radev’s sharp retort to Toshko Yordanov

In a declaration, MPs from the We Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (PP–DB) coalition called for Toshko Yordanov, the chair of the Culture Committee and an MP from There Is Such a People, to resign. This followed his controversial comments about..

published on 7/2/25 5:45 PM

Checks are being carried out for illegal trade in Bulgarian seaside resorts

The Ministry of Tourism has carried out nearly 200 checks in Bulgarian Black Sea resorts over the past month, Minister Miroslav Borshosh reported.  An inspection is currently underway in Sunny Beach. “We want to put a stop to all types of illegal..

published on 7/2/25 3:01 PM