Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev dismissed the Director of Defence Information Service Veselin Ivanov on Monday.

Nenchev justified his decision with the inability to reach consensus with Ivanov on the functioning of the service, especially its cadre development.

According to the Defence Minister, 39 % of the service's management was appointed before 1991, the ministry's press service reports.

Another reason for Ivanov's dismissal was the necessity for greater operational compatibility with the services of NATO.

In Nenchev's opinion, many of the elements required for the fruitful cooperation with the Alliance were still lacking.

The Defence Minister appointed Colonel Svetoslav Daskalov as interim director of the service.

Nenchev expects that the service will implement the necessary reforms in short period and provide young officers with the possibility to prove their professional skills and include them in the management.

He pointed to the malpractices that have been reported in the service, expressing his hope that the new management will take the necessary legal action to address them.