Bulgaria Calls for National Debates on Raising NATO Spending Amid US Pressure

The decision on increasing defense expenditure of NATO states should be made at the national debates, Bulgarian Defense Minister Stefan Yanev said amid US calls on members of the alliance to fulfill their obligations to spend 2 percent of GPD on defense.

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.

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.