Defence Minister Nikolay Svinarov told reporters that Bulgaria had not been asked to provide military aid to the Republic of Macedonia. He added that the Bulgarian government was prepared to discuss this issue during the 18 August visit of Macedonian Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva to Bulgaria. Nikolay Svinarov specified that if military aid were indeed requested, the procedure envisages adopting a political decision, coordinating it with NATO headquarters in Brussels, and only then rendering the aid in the form it had been requested. As far as sending a Bulgarian military contingent to Macedonia was concerned, Defence Minister Svinarov categorically pointed out that this could happen only after coordinating the step with international organizations related to effecting peace in Macedonia, and only if this contingent were a part of NATO forces. Minister Svinarov said that up to this moment Bulgaria had not received a request to allow the passage of international military forces through its territory.