The US Embassy in Sofia issued Tuesday a press release to clarify the US official position on the use and the intentions of the joint Bulgarian-US military training facilities such as the one in Novo Selo. 

The press release is a follow up of a recent article in the US Star and Stripes newspaper dedicated to the facilities, which as the press release points out, "has created confusion and uncertainty" over their use.

"To set the record straight, all the Joint-use facilities are Bulgarian bases. Novo Selo, as with all the Joint-use facilities in Bulgaria, are where US military units can train with their Bulgarian counterparts at a facility that will offer all opportunities to practice interoperability and skills necessary to work together in a joint environment.

This facility is a result of the Defense Cooperation Agreement signed by both the Government of Bulgaria and the United States which stipulates that these facilities will be used for training.  The US forces who temporarily deploy to Bulgaria to participate in this training return to their home bases once the training is complete," the press release states.

The Embassy points out that there are no permanent US forces deployed to facilities such as Novo Selo, and the US plans to keep operating in this manner.

The document further explains that the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense has also sent out a press release addressing this same Stars and Stripes article and the US Embassy in Sofia agrees with the statements made in the MOD press release.

"We hope that the MOD information and ours will bring the focus back to where it truly belongs: on the professional opportunities and the personal camaraderie gained by troops from both nations working and training together for the common purpose of regional security and stability as partners and allies," the press release concludes.