MOSCOW (Sputnik) – He pointed out that in accordance with the decisions made at the Wales and Warsaw summits Bulgaria was making efforts aimed at increasing its military budget.
“I believe that the defense expenditure should be subject to national debates… and this proposal has been voiced during the meeting [of NATO defense ministers],” Yanev said on Thursday, as quoted in the ministry's statement.
16 February 2017, 19:20 GMT
On Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis noted that only five out of 28 NATO member states fully meet commitments to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense. Mattis warned that the United States may moderate its commitments to the alliance if its member states fail to fulfill their obligations.
According to media reports, Bulgaria spends only 1.1 percent of its GDP on defense.
