/ world today news/ “Say, farmer, today is his time”, said the poet…
However capable or incompetent those in power have been during the past 25 years of transition, they have learned that drastic experiments in terms of national security are not done. Anyone who has forgotten about this has paid a heavy price in one way or another. Because any lack of expertise, manifestation of arrogance, selfishness and ambition, as well as political biases, lead to a loss of security for the state.
However, the new Minister of Defense, Nikolay Nenchev, although he is not known as a military expert, but as the chairman of the National Security Agency, allowed himself to speak specifically about the “Military Information” service in his first speeches in this position. A structure with particular specificity, exceeding the scope of competence even for the most skilled administrator in this sector.
The “excavation” on the subject was not on easy ground, but in the old level of the well-guarded military intelligence files. One in which, if not handled carefully, mortal dangers can arise for our foreign agents in various countries around the world.
Nenchev heroically promised to hand over the files from the foreign and military intelligence in order to clarify everything that was done before 1989. A promise made to the delegates of the national assembly of Democrats for a strong Bulgaria at the end of November last year – just 2-3 weeks after he assumed the post of Minister of Defense. Let’s recall that previously the head of military intelligence was adamant that everything that had to be handed over by law was done. Veselin Ivanov said: “Documents that we are obliged to hand over according to the Law on files – everything has been handed over. There is not a single document that has remained in the office”. Was there any communication between the two – between a minister and a subordinate, so that Nikolay Nenchev could “bring out” the topic of what had already been brought out? Did he listen to his subordinates before forming a firm position on this matter?
A public controversy has raged over whether there are foreign national numbers in undelivered records and whether they should be handed over to the Records Commission. Nenchev claimed that the law must be implemented and even answered parliamentary questions on the subject. From the rostrum of the National Assembly, he explained that the handover of 33,000 archive units will not endanger the lives of foreign citizens who cooperated with the Bulgarian services, because they are not subject to disclosure. Their files will be stored and accessible only to the chairman of the commission, Evtim Kostadinov. Deputy Velizar Enchev objected to him that he was either incompetent or deliberately manipulating and explained to him, giving an example with himself, that full information about the names of his collaborators could be obtained from his file. “You are participating in treason, for which you will be responsible,” Enchev warned him at the beginning of the year. Former Defense Minister Angel Naydenov also signaled the pressure on the Military Information Service and the intention of Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev to hand over the archive to the Dossier Commission, calling it a crime. The media eventually quoted the minister as saying that the Communist-era military intelligence archives had been handed over to the Electronic Records Commission a year and a half ago.
Veselin Ivanov explains that everything concerning Bulgarian citizens has been handed over and only about 4,000 cases of foreign citizens remain. They are convinced that this law does not apply to foreigners. “Only this has not been handed over, everything else has been handed over,” Veselin Ivanov told BGNES. On the day of his release from office on Monday, he admitted that the most likely reason for what happened to him was precisely the matter of the files. Ivanov added that he was not given any explanation for the removal, but he expected it. Apparently, the period of March snow seemed to the minister to be an appropriate time for such a change.
The situation in the world is complex, there are conflicts and the situation is constantly changing. In our country, after 25 years of transition, the services will have their own laws. Just a few days ago, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov went to President Rosen Plevneliev with 4 bills for reform in the Security sector. One of them is that of the “Military Information” service. If the new project is like the one considered in the previous parliament, then the mandate of the director and the procedure for his appointment are regulated there. Thus, the mystery of the time of Ivanov’s release becomes even more complicated and raises suspicions of a purge.
The official reasons for the change of the head of military intelligence sound like this: Ivanov was released because a “consensus on important issues concerning the work of the service” was not reached. Especially in terms of its personnel development, where 39% of the management team was appointed before 1991, says the minister. If people aged 20-25 are appointed. , however, now some of the experts could be 45 – 50 years old – far not so old… It is known that a good professional and military intelligence is not made in a year or two. Among other things, the minister is probably aware that there is an age limit for military service in the defense law. For military personnel with the rank of major and lieutenant colonel, for example, it is 54 years, for a colonel it is 56 years. It’s a law. Another restriction like this for pre or post 1991. this law does not know! Not to mention that reasons for age may interest the commission for protection against discrimination, for example.
We are looking for the reasons for the premature “plowing” in the “Military Information” service of the minister by title and farmer by vocation Nenchev in the next argument for the release of Vesselin Ivanov – the need for greater interoperability with the services of the Alliance, i.e. of NATO. According to Nenchev, many of the elements of this cooperation are currently missing. Strange, however, how things change – only about two weeks ago, the Minister of Defense himself said that he highly values the information he receives from the employees of “Military Information”. He even emphasized that, unfortunately, to a large extent their predictions related to the conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East have come true. How will military intelligence information be so valuable without the necessary interoperability then?
Veselin Ivanov has held this post in the previous office of Boyko Borisov. He was appointed after a change in the regulations that allowed military intelligence to be headed by a civilian. This became a fact after an unconcealed conflict between the then President Georgi Parvanov and the former Minister of Defense Anyu Angelov, who is currently an advisor to Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. Nikolay Nenchev replaced Veselin Ivanov at a time when there were no visible upheavals in the service. His removal, who knows why, echoes with the belated romantic refrain “45 years is enough” and the blue chant from the squares “Who doesn’t jump is red”. Well, who worked before 1991. is clearly unwanted in the sector today. This is called reform!
By the way, the first meaning of the word minister, used since the 12th century, is a servant. To serve the people, the state. Whose servant is the minister of war? Perhaps, the answer will come with the selection of the new director and whether he will be a political rather than a professional figure.
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