Russia is interested if Bulgaria plans to join the American anti-rocket defense system

Russia has showed interest if Bulgaria plans to participate in the American anti-rocket defense system in Eastern Europe, a high-level diplomat in Moscow announced on BNT.

Recently, the Russian President Dmitrii Medvedev warned that Russia will react adequately if the US deploy anti-rocket defense equipment in Eastern Europe.

The issue of possible Bulgarian involvement into the American anti-rocket defense system was raised last Thursday during the consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Bulgaria and Russia. A day after the US State Secretary Rice's visit to Bulgaria.
According to the Bulgarian Ambassador to Russia Plamen Grozdanov, the Russians wanted to know if, in case of a negative answer by Poland, Bulgaria would join the American defense system. The answer was that such question had not been discussed.

The Russian worries were repeated by Medvedev in his program speech before more than 200 Russian ambassadors: „We firmly declare that the deployment of elements of a US global anti-missile system in Eastern Europe only worsens the situation.We will be forced to react adequately. Our American and European partners have been warned".

Medvedev, who recently approved a new Russian foreign policy concept, also criticized the European Union on the Kosovo issue comparing it to Iraq. The Russian president insisted on the adoption of a new common European security treaty and announced that the first reactions to this initiative had been neutral and, therefore, hopeful.