Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, said Thursday the government would not let the Bulgarian Army become weaker despite the shortage of funds caused by the recently emerged budget deficit.

Borisov made this statement during the joint military drills of the Bulgarian and US military detachments at the Novo Selo training ground near the eastern city of Sliven.

The Prime Minister made it clear that Bulgaria was going to maintain the present size of its forces in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina at all costs.

“We now have to make a BGN 9 M payment for the Belgian frigates we got but the Defense Ministry is left only with BGN 1 000 because the previous government squandered everything!” Borisov said.

The Prime Minister stressed the fact that the Bulgarian military participated in the Novo Selo drills for free since the expenses were assumed by the US military.

He also cited General Carter Ham, the Commander of the US Forces in Europe, as saying the Novo Selo drills were the best ones he had ever seen, and that the professionalism of the Bulgarian and American soldiers was impressive.

Borisov said Bulgaria would continue its military cooperation with the USA, and that Serbia and Ukraine had expressed also expressed interest in joint drills.

The Prime Minister, together with high officers of the Bulgarian and US military, observed the joint military drills at Novo Selo.