Bulgarian Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski. Photo: BGNES
Bulgarian Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski assured on Saturday that the country does not export and does not allow for weapons to be exported from its territory to Syria.
His comments come as a response to the information widely circulated during the week by Reuters that the three US contractors, who were injured by the explosion at the military polygon in the Bulgarian village Anevo, had been testing weapons destined for export to the Syrian opposition.
The incident, which took place on June 6 after a rocket-propelled grenade malfunctioned, claimed the life of one of the US citizens, while the other two as well as two Bulgarians were injured.
Lukarski asked the US authorities to provide an explanation whether Bulgarian armaments reached Syria as the country was not issuing permits for Syria as an end user, the minister said in an interview for Darik radio.
Lukarski added that Bulgaria exported weapons, including Russian ones to the USA and dismissed the speculations that weapon testing was taking place in Anevo, but rather training of specialists.
It did not amount to weapon testing as the rocket-propelled grenades in question were in use since the time of the Warsaw Pact.