Russia should settle relations with NATO, Black Sea too tight for warships - Bulgarian PM
SOFIA. March 4 (Interfax) - Bulgarian wants to maintain good relations with Russia despite being a NATO member, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said.
"We are a NATO member and we are a good partner of Russia's and we would like the Black Sea to remain a sea for tourism and friendly relations. It is a wonderful sea, but it is too tight for warships," Borisov told a press conference after talks with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Monday.
Russia and NATO leaders should sit at the negotiating table and settle their relations, however hard it may be, he said.
Bulgaria is still using Russian fighter aircraft, he said.
"We need to maintain the Russian fighters' combat capability until we get new ones," Borisov said.
Commenting on these remarks, Medvedev said: "The fighters will always come, but the main thing is for the gas to come and power plants to be working." "It seems to me, it is this area that our Bulgarian friends should be working on," he said.