Presidential candidate Andrey Gyurov has urged the government to immediately request consultations with allies under Article 4 of the NATO Treaty following new attacks on two merchant ships in the Black Sea. According to him, the attacks occurred closer to Bulgarian territorial waters, sailors were injured, and one ship sank.
“I urge the government to immediately request consultations under Article 4 of the NATO Treaty and to present a specific plan to protect the Bulgarian coast and shipping“, Gyurov said.
Bulgarian authorities have confirmed new incidents involving merchant ships near the country. According to the Associated Press, one vessel sank, and the crew of the other was evacuated. BGNES reported that the origin of the drones used and the full circumstances surrounding the attacks have not yet been definitively established.
Gyurov: This is an escalation
Gyurov described the new attacks as an escalation, which he said followed the “timid“ reaction of the Bulgarian authorities to the previous attacks. He criticized the ongoing discussions about whether the drones were Russian or not, as well as the measures he described as desirable.
“Escalation, which came after our timid reaction a few days ago. After a week of arguments by the ruling party about whether the drones were Russian or not“, said the presidential candidate.
Bulgarian authorities reported that at the moment there is not enough categorical evidence to allow responsibility for the attacks to be assigned to a specific country. Prime Minister Rumen Radev described the attack as unacceptable and said he would talk to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Question about burning antennas near Plana
In his position, Gyurov also raised the issue of the incident with burning antennas near Plana. He claims that on October 9, 11 antennas for communication with the Starlink satellite system were set on fire.
“When we talk about hybrid attacks and escalation - only hours ago it became clear that on the evening of October 9, 11 antennas for communication with the Starlink satellite system were set on fire near Plana. Silence and information blackout“, Gyurov said.
No final data on the perpetrators and the motive have been reported in the public domain for this case. Gyurov made a comparison with a similar incident in Poland, where, according to him, there are already detainees, and questioned the work of the Bulgarian services.
“A hybrid war is being waged. Get your heads out of the sand“, the presidential candidate urged. He added: “The security of our people comes first and they must be protected immediately!“
Sources: infomreja.bg, apnews.com, bgnes.bg