The parliament approved the deployment of American planes at the Bezmer airbase. The item on the decision on the stay of American planes in our country was included exceptionally in today's agenda.
The proposal was adopted with 136 votes "for" - 121 from "Progressive Bulgaria" and 15 from the MRF. “Against“ 13 MPs voted - 12 from “Vazrazhdane“ and one from “Progressive Bulgaria“. Two MPs from “Progressive Bulgaria“ abstained. GERB-SDF, “Democratic Bulgaria“ and “Continue the Change” did not participate in the vote, Nova TV reported.
From the rostrum of the National Assembly before the vote, Prime Minister Rumen Radev commented that he had made a commitment to Bulgarian citizens to speak the truth and make decisions that are entirely in the national interest.
“What we corrected is that these tanker planes should leave the airport in Sofia. There are no such tanker planes anywhere in Europe that are based at a civil airport, and you allowed them to be stationed at a civil airport - and 15 huge tanker planes that are located between passenger planes, in close proximity to the busy terminals with thousands of people around the clock, next to the first district of Sofia and that fly over the city center. According to flight safety science, most aviation accidents are concentrated during the takeoff and landing phases. These are the riskiest phases of flight. "Here is what you allowed, we have eliminated," Radev said.
“The US is our main ally and if we do not fulfill our contracts, how do we expect them to fulfill theirs?“, the Prime Minister also commented.
We recall that yesterday the Defense Committee approved the proposal of the Council of Ministers, but the deputies had the last word today in the plenary hall.
The American side's request is to deploy up to 8 aircraft. The government's proposal is that they should not be at a civilian airport, but at the "Bezmer" military base.