BULGARIA ON BOARD FOR NATO STRATEGIC AIRLIFT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SOFIA 001216 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/NCE AND EUR/RPM (MONAHAN) USNATO FOR COL. EDWIN HEINRICH E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/25/2016 TAGS: PREL MARR MASS MOPS NATO BU SUBJECT: BULGARIA ON BOARD FOR NATO STRATEGIC AIRLIFT INITIATIVE REF: A. STATE 138937 ¶B. USNATO 468 Classified By: Acting DCM Brad Freden, for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) We delivered reftel A talking points to Zlatin Krystev, acting head of the MFA's International Security Directorate on August 24. After conferring with MOD colleagues, Krystev reconfirmed Bulgaria's commitment to the Letter of Intent (LOI) signed previously, adding that "there is no suggestion" in the GOB that Bulgaria withdraw from the Strategic Airlift Initiative. Krystev declined, however to commit to a specific number of flight-hours in advance of the September 8 meeting. According to him, the previous estimate of 60 hours was based on rough calculations, and the final Bulgarian requirement is likely to be revised upward in accordance with the MOD's long-term planning. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: The GOB is eager to increase its airlift capacity, and is particularly interested in the flexibility offered by the Strategic Airlift Initiative. As the NATO member with the lowest real GDP per capita, Bulgaria's participation is unlikely to affect the initiative's ultimate viability. However, Bulgaria's participation in the program is a sign of its political commitment to the Alliance and reflects its efforts to create a more deployable military. KARAGIANNIS