Bulgaria's National Security Council to Summon over New Strategy

(L-R) Bulgarian Parliament Chair Tsacheva, President Parvanov, and PM Borisov will be atttending the National Security Council meeting on Friday. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov will summon on Friday the National Security Council over the draft of a new National Security Strategy.

The draft has been prepared for months by a interdepartmental expert group including the Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov and the Secretary of the Security Council at the Council of Ministers, Rumen Milanov.

Tsvetanov has been invited to report on the topic.

Parvanov has already stated that there he had some disagreements with the Parliament's draft on National Security Strategy. However, he said he would discuss them with the cabinet through a work plan and not by confrontations.

Last week, Bulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov expressed hope that until Friday's meeting of the National Security Council, the issues surrounding the appointment of a new head of the military intelligence would be solved.

He added that the cabinet is responsible for it and will not make compromises with its candidate, Commodore Valentin Gagashev.

Parvanov has not yet issued an ordinance for the appointment of Commodore Gagashev.

The issue is expected to be discussed at the meeting on Friday. However, Parvanov reminded that it was not a practice and the National Security Council was not legally allowed to nominate or appoint staff.

"Let's sit and jointly take the responsibility, like we did for nine years with the two previous governments and like many more cabinets and presidents before us have done," Parvanov said.

According to the National Security Council Act, the Council includes, in addition to the President, the Parliament Chair, the Prime Minister, the Ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Finance, the head of the State National Security Agency (DANS), the Head of Defense (i.e. formerly known as the head of the general staff of the army), and the chairs of all parliamentary groups.

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