Summary He also referred to his recent communication with the US president, saying he had raised the issue of lifting visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens but got no positive response
SARAJEVO (Reuters) – Bulgaria will allow US military aircraft to stay in the NATO member country only until the end of June, after the United States failed to approve a visa-free system for Bulgarian visitors, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on Friday.
"I fully understand the complexity of the regulatory procedures and the need for time, but we also have our priorities and procedures, and we cannot respond positively to the request for long stays of aircraft and tanks at the Sofia airport," BTA news agency quoted Radev as saying.
He also referred to his recent communication with the US president, saying he had raised the issue of lifting visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens. According to him, no positive response has been received so far, though he acknowledged the complexity of the administrative process and the time such decisions require.
At the same time, Radev noted that Bulgaria has its own strategic considerations. He said Sofia cannot support an extended presence of aircraft and tanker operations at Sofia Airport under current conditions. As a result, the government is expected to approve an extension of their stay only until the end of June, giving allied forces time to adjust plans and identify alternative arrangements.
Here are some details:
Bulgaria hosts US military aircraft in its capital Sofia under an agreement valid until the end of May.
Radev said the government will on Friday adopt a decision to extend the US aircraft's stay until the end of June to give the US time to rethink its actions.
Radev won a landslide election victory in a parliamentary election on April 19.
