The recently appointed Defence Minister Nikolai Tsonev will pay a visit to the Bulgarian contingent in Afghanistan soon, it emerged on Monday after a conversation with the senior national representative of the Bulgarian armed forces in Afghanistan, Colonel Valentin Bourov, over a traditional video connection to Bulgarian military missions abroad, BTA reported.

The Bulgarian contingent in Afghanistan reported on the performance of many tasks and said that they are getting ready for a rotation.

The mission in Kosovo said that the situation is rather strained but stable, and that the zone of Bulgarian responsibility is relatively calm. The general level of danger is assessed as low for the KFOR forces, which include the Bulgarian troops, and medium for UNMIK and other organizations. Meetings and demonstrations are carried out without incidents.

The Iraqi mission said that the situation there is dynamic, however no threats against the Grizzly base, where the Bulgarian-guarded Camp Ashraf is located, have been reported. Eighty Bulgarian military were awarded by the US command.

The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains calm. A rotation of the Bulgarian military there is also forthcoming.

Traditionally, the Defence Minister and Chief of General Staff of the Bulgarian Army General Zlatan Stoikov greet in a video connection the Bulgarian military missions abroad on the eve of May 6, St. George's Day and Day of the Army, praising their performance and wishing them success and safe return.

Photo: BGNES