Bulgaria should request consultations with NATO allies under Article 4 after the drone attack on two merchant ships in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. This was called for in front of "Euronews" by the co-chairman of "Yes, Bulgaria" and MP from "Democratic Bulgaria" Ivaylo Mirchev.
"Bulgaria should not wait for an attack on our territory and an even more serious case with casualties to request consultations in NATO under Article 4", said Mirchev. According to him, President Rumen Radev is deliberately mixing up Article 4 and Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
„Article 5 is for collective defense in the event of an armed attack, and Article 4 is for consultations when a country believes its security is threatened“, Mirchev pointed out.
The attack took place about 70 nautical miles from Byala
The two ships were attacked on the night of October 6 by air and sea drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, about 70 nautical miles east of Byala. One vessel sank, and a fire broke out on board the second.
All 18 crew members of the burning ship were rescued. There are seriously injured sailors. At the moment, Bulgarian authorities have not officially indicated which party is behind the attack.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev described the attack as “absolutely unacceptable“ and convened a meeting with representatives of the institutions. According to him, Bulgaria has conducted a rescue operation in the area of the incident.
Consultations at the national security level are forthcoming
President Iliana Yotova has convened a meeting of the National Security Advisory Council on October 7 at 1:00 p.m. It is expected to discuss the country's security risks and the reaction after the attack in the Black Sea.
Mirchev cited as examples Poland, which requested consultations under Article 4 after Russian drones entered its territory, and Estonia, which used the procedure after Russian fighter jets violated its airspace.
The activation of Article 4 does not automatically mean the application of collective military defense. It allows the member state to officially raise the issue with the North Atlantic Council and discuss with allies measures for protection and risk mitigation.
Sources: bta.bg, nova.bg, bntnews.bg, Euronews