In negotiations to take over surveillance of the airspace of another neighboring country – Greecealways through them NATO channels.

According to well-informed sources, the request was sent to the Greek side by Bulgaria through NATO for a three-month observation of Bulgarian airspace in the context of the relevant mission (NATO Air Police).

It is reminded that air force (PA) Greece already together with Italy performs air surveillance tasks Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

In individual countries, responsibility is shared two weeks (15 days for Greece, 15 days for Italy) in the context of a broader NATO policy, i.e. a country’s air force should not be held responsible for the airspace of a member state of the North Atlantic Treaty.

The PA’s request for assistance in Bulgarian airspace has been discussed at the diplomatic level, as well as in Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE) NATO. Bulgaria has a limited fleet of old MIG-29A fighters, which have limited capabilities.

Yes, the war Ukraine and the impending rupture of relations with military equipment led to the fact that Sophia ordered two 70-octave American-made F-16C / D. The first plane is not expected to land in Bulgaria until 2025.

At the same time, taking into account and proceeding from the fact that the existing MiG-29A of the Bulgarian Air Force have very low availability to meet the increased demand for airspace surveillance, it is not surprising that discussions started on the Bulgarian initiative.

These discussions are actually fueling scenarios that Bulgaria could provide some of its fighter jets to Ukraine. These discussions, of course, take place on a completely different level.

Contacts between Athens and Sofia in the field of airspace surveillance is the latest episode of the increasingly close contacts that are being cultivated between the two countries, especially after the cooperation of the two countries in the field of natural gas.

Bulgaria imports LNG via Alexandroupolis and in the coming months it will be seen whether it is realistic to build an oil pipeline from Burgas — Alexandroupolis.