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Asen Vassilev
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If there are projects of the Ministry of Defense that we have not seen and have not provided in the budget procedure, they should be considered. But to buy airplanes on paper – we will not give money. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Asen Vassilev on the sidelines of parliament in response to GERB’s request for more money for defense in this year’s budget.
There is an adopted program on how to reach 2% of GDP for defense in the next 2-3 years. This plan is being implemented, we are currently slightly above what is planned for this year, he explained.
If the MoD has ready-made projects, not on paper, they should be reviewed by a parliamentary committee, discuss how much they increase the army’s combat capability, how appropriate they are, and then look for ways to fund them. But until such projects are provided, let’s talk – here is just a bag of money for defense – will not happen, Vassilev was adamant.
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