The Day of Bravery and the holiday of the Bulgarian Army were marked with the blessing of battle flags of the Bulgarian Army and flags of holy places in the capital - May 6, St. George's Day, BTA reports.
The ritual in front of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in the capital began with a flyover of a "Cougar" helicopter with the national flag in formation with two Mi-17 helicopters. The President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Iliana Yotova, accepted the formation and congratulated the representative units on the occasion of May 6.
The solemn ritual was attended by the Minister of Defense in the Office of the Prime Minister, Atanas Zapryanov, the Chief of Defense, Admiral Emil Eftimov, and senior officers of the Bulgarian Army.
Among those present were the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mihaela Dotsova, the Acting Prime Minister, Andrey Gyurov, the Mayor of Sofia, Vasil Terziev, leaders of parliamentaryly represented political forces and deputies, ministers from the Office of the Prime Minister, representatives of state institutions, official religions in Bulgaria, the diplomatic corps, and military-patriotic unions.
The Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia, Daniil, performed the blessing of the battle flags and sacred flags of the Bulgarian Army and sprinkled holy water on the flags, representative units, and officials. He congratulated on the feast of the Holy Great Martyr George. In the tradition of Bulgarian statehood and churchhood, this holiday is inextricably linked to our respect and gratitude to the Bulgarian invincible army. Following this tradition, on the feast day of Saint George the Victorious, our Holy Orthodox Church consecrates the banners of military glory, of our victorious army, asking for God's mercy and protection for our Orthodox army, which preserves the peace and security of our dear Motherland and with a sense of duty watches over the life and honor of Bulgarian citizens, said Patriarch Daniil.
Then the head of state delivered a speech. The expectations of the entire society towards the Bulgarian Army are very high, but in order to justify themselves, the state must also fulfill its duty towards its army, said President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Iliana Yotova. In these difficult and dangerous times, we rely on you, she said in her speech to the servicemen. Conflicts are all around us, but we know that you carry out your service with courage, honor and dignity and are the guarantor of the peace, security and prosperity of the Bulgarian people, Yotova added.
As a sign of gratitude to the Bulgarian soldiers who died for the freedom of Bulgaria, wreaths and flowers were laid in front of the monument to the Unknown Soldier.
During the performance of the national anthem during the blessing of the battle flags, 20 artillery salutes were fired.
At the end of the ritual, after the transition to a solemn march of the representative companies, over the square “Alexander Nevsky“ for the first time on May 6, the new F-16 Block 70 fighter jets flew over. The aviation salute for the holiday began with C-27J Spartan aircraft, followed by Su-25 attack aircraft and finally ended with a flyover of three MiG-29 fighters.
By the end of the year, we will have 12 trained pilots to fly the new F-16 Block 70 fighter jets, said Acting Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov. Six certified pilots are flying, you saw some of them in the air, Zapryanov said. Two more will arrive by the end of this month and a little later, and four more - by the end of the year, he added.
Zapryanov said that the reason there will be no military parade today is the lack of a regular budget. He pointed out that he leaves the next Minister of Defense with a good foundation with positive steps in manning the armed forces, the foundations of modernization laid, ready contracts under the SAFE instrument for operational and loan agreements, as well as to fight for the defense budget to grow, as NATO has decided - up to 3.5% in 2035.
The Chief of Defense, Admiral Emil Eftimov, noted that today in the aviation salute, equipment of different generations was shown. Modernization projects are going well, he said. As the most serious challenges facing the Bulgarian army, Admiral Eftimov pointed out the maintenance of existing capabilities for the fulfillment of constitutional obligations, military duty and readiness for response, as well as ensuring the process of transformation and modernization.
Later, at 12:00, a ceremonial changing of the guard of honor was held in front of the building of the presidential institution, which was watched by the head of state Iliana Yotova and young guardsmen. After that, the president welcomed young people from guard detachments and volunteers to the institution. A volunteer doctor from a youth guard detachment proposed to his beloved in the Coat of Arms Hall, and President Yotova congratulated them and presented them with wedding glasses.