The challenges facing national security are related to the situation in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine, as well as the future development of relations between several major political players in the world – Russia, the USA, China.
This is what former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Tsvetlin Yovchev told FOCUS.
According to him, there is a danger that the situation in the Middle East could escalate into a regional and even global conflict, which in one way or another will affect Bulgaria. "This is a significant risk that we must calculate and from now on it must be carefully monitored. The processes in Syria must be closely monitored – numerous religious and ethnic contradictions accumulated over the years, and antagonistic interests of external countries, including global players in the person of Iran, Turkey, the USA, Israel. If internal clashes begin and they develop into a civil war, this could lead to a new wave of refugees“, explained Yovchev.
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to him, also has the potential to grow and affect other countries or become global. “If NATO member states are involved, this poses risks for Bulgaria, because direct involvement of the Alliance could pose direct threats to our country. An ongoing confrontation could also lead to deficits that could pose risks to our national security. Analyses should be carried out very carefully and the processes that would lead to such scenarios should be monitored“, emphasized the former Minister of Internal Affairs.
The threats from hybrid attacks should not be ignored either. "We still do not have a mechanism in place to identify and protect against this type of attack", Yovchev pointed out.
There is always a risk that terrorists will enter Bulgaria along with the migrant flow. However, at the moment, he believes, there is no increased risk.