Bulgaria to Build Runway as Part of F-16 Infrastructure as NATO Declines to Bear Cost

Bulgaria will shoulder the costs of building a runway for its F-16 jets at Graf Ignatiev Air Force Base after NATO denied to take responsibility.

Georgi Velikov Panayotov, Minister of Defence of Bulgaria, said during a news conference Wednesday that “someone for unknown reasons” had decided that the cost of building the runway would be borne by NATO without actually discussing this with NATO headquarters.

NATO had earlier declined to build the F-16 runways, saying that the project was Bulgaria’s responsibility.

The ministry is now seeking $32.1 million (53 million leva) for its construction project as it had not been budgeted for in the original project.