Bulgaria's Defense Minister Anyu Angelov has sent a letter to the media containing all-out criticism against President Georgi Parvanov's vision for the development of the armed forces.

In the past few months, Gen. Angelov and Parvanov have been tangled in a conflict over appointments of senior army officers. The most controversial case was the appointment of a new head of the military intelligence, with Angelov backing down after Parvanov refused to confirm two subsequent ministerial nominees leaving a deputy head in charge of the institution for the time being.

In his open letter, the Defense Minister declares that he has "fundamental differences" with President Parvanov with respect to the development of the Bulgarian Army. The letter is an immediate reaction to a recent press interview of Parvanov, in which the President accused Angelov of concentrating power in his hands and bringing the armed forces back in time before the 1989 changes.

The President stated that Angelov is "making armed forces for export" which will be only capable of participating in missions abroad, while the Bulgarian Constitution says that they must guarantee the defense of the country. Parvanov further criticized Angelov for shutting down a military base in the northwestern city of Vratsa.

"Of all the theses laid out in President Georgi Parvanov's interview, I only agree with him for one thing – that we have fundamentally different views for concept for development of the Bulgarian Army," says the Defense Minister.

Angelov believes that the Bulgarian armed forces can guarantee the defense of the country "but not in the conditions of a time gone by when the state leaders feared everybody and everything, and the "enemy" was at our border."

He declares that in the 21st century defense has to be guaranteed with various means and is not limited only to protecting the national borders as it has to neutralize the risks at the spot of their roots, even if that is far from Bulgaria's territory.

"This is why the Bulgarian men and women in uniform take part in missions of NATO, the EU, and the UN and risk their lives and health to guarantee our own security," the Minister states.

In his view, Bulgaria needs a modern and mobile army which is capable of reacting adequately to crisis situations in any part of the country and beyond Bulgaria's borders.

"This is why it is not necessary to locate army units everywhere on its territory. Mobility is provided through joint drills and actions of flexible formations provided with transport helicopters and airplanes," says the general.

He describes Parvanov's refusal to confirm the appointments of "worthy generals" as "humiliating."

With respect to the closure of the Vratsa military base, Angelov points out that during Parvanov's two terms as President, the military bases in Vidin, Targovishte, Razgrad, Dobrich, Lovech, Kyustendil, Pazardzhik, Kardzhali, Lom, Samokov, Peshtera, Bansko, Razlog, Simitli, Kresna, Sandanski, Devin, Gotse Delchev, Krumovgrad, Simeonovgrad, Ivaylovgrad, and Momchilgrad were also closed.

Angelov has declared that for the first time Bulgaria has a functioning integrated Ministry of Defense in which the military and civilian staff work in coordination and with high efficiency.

"The Council of Defense (a government body) has never had so much weight, and the debates there have never been so open. The generals present their positions openly and honestly, and it is insulting and incorrect to say that the command of the Bulgarian Army has lost its identity. The Commander-in-Chief must know that because his advisor has been present at all meetings.

Angelov has also refuted the claims of the President that his team has neglected the social policy of the Defense Ministry.

Under the Bulgarian Constitution, the President, who otherwise has largely representative functions, is the ultimate commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and he has to confirm all senior appointments proposed by the Minister of Defense.

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